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THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE 


THE  ANATOMY,  DISEASES  AND 
TREATMENT 


Domestic  (Jnimals 


ALSO    CONTAINING 


A  FULL  DESCRIPTION  OF  MEDICINES 
AND  RECEIPTS. 


J.  E.  HODGINS,  V.  S., 

(Honorary  Graduate  of  the  Ontario    Veterinary  College) 

AND 

T.  H.  HASKETT, 

(Secretary  of  the    Veterinary  Science  Company ) 


THIRTEENTH  EDITION. 


LONDON,  CANADA: 

The  Veterinary  Science  Company, 

1897. 


I 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  the  Parliament  of  Canada, 
in  the  year  1896,  by  J.  E.  Hodgins,  ^■'..  A„  and 
T.    H.    Haskett,  at  the   Department  of   Ag-riculture. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1896, 
by  J.  E.  Hodgins,  V.  S.,  and  T.  H.  Haskett,  in 
the  0?i\ce  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Wash- 
ington,  D.   C. 


Great 


Copyrights   applied    for   in    the    following   countnes:     ureat 
Britain  and   Ireland,   France,  Germany,  Austraha   and 


South  Africa. 


ALL   RIGHTS  RESERVED. 


Heal  &  Fleming,',  1  rinters  and  I'ublisliers,  London.  Out. 


PREFACE. 


aT  THE  request  of  some  of  the  leading  stockowners  and 
prominent  farmers  of  Canada  and  the  United  States,  and 
beheving  that  a  work  of  this  kind  has  long  been  wanted 
by  those  interested  in  domestic  animals,  the  authors  have 
undertaken  the  publication  of  The  Veterinary  Scienxe  in  the 
simplest  English  language.  They  have  endeavored  to  make  it  a 
profitable  and  interesting  study  for  stockowners  and  their  sons, 
who,  by  carefully  consulting  the  pages  of  this  book,  will  find  it  to 
contain  information  of  untold  value. 

The  first  fifty-eight  pages  contain  the  practical  anatomy  or 
conformation  of  the  horse,  and  should  be  carefully  studied. 

The  diseases  and  treatment  of  the  horse  follow  these,  and 
Chapter  I.  lays  the  plan  of  how  to  examine  a  sick  horse,  and  as 
the  reader  proceeds  it  will  be  found  to  be  simple  in  the  extreme. 
Mistakes  in  doctoring  can  hardly  be  made,  as  the  causes, 
symptoms  and  treatment  of  the  diseases  are  so  fully  explained 
that  the  stockowner  has  but  to  follow  the  directions  laid  down 
in  this   book. 

The  comparative  anatomy,  diseases  and  treatment  of  cattle, 
beginning  at  page  243,  will  likewise  be  found  to  be  as  simple  and 
satisfactorily  explained  as  that  of  the  horse. 

The  diseases  and  treatment  of  sheep,  found  between  pages 
-316  and  337  of  the  book,  are  fully  dealt  with,  and  it  will  be  found 
by  persons  who  read  and  study  this  part  of  the  book  that  sheep 
are  as  easy  to  doctor  as  any  of  the  other  animals.  The  same 
may  be  said  of  the  diseases  and  treatment  of  pigs,  dogs  and 
poultry,  found  at  page  337  and  following  pages. 

The  medicines  and  receipts  constitute  Part  V.  of  the  book, 
and  are  a  very  important  part  of  the  study;  they  are  fully  and 
practically  explained.  The  receipts  for  making  linmients,  lotions, 
powders,  blisters,  etc.,  are  very  valuable  to  everybody,  especially 
those  interested  in  stock,  which  it  may  now  be  said  is  what  the 
farmer  looks  to  for  a  livelihood. 

The  index,  as  you  will  see,  is  a  prominent  feature  of  the 
bookj  being  an  index  of  symptoms  as  well  as  of  diseases.  This 
makes  it  very  easy  for  anyone  to  find  out  what  their  animal  is 
suffering  from,  as  they  can  look  lor  tiie  symptom  the  animal  is 
showing  in  the  index,  which  directs  tliem  to  the  rit^ht  disease. 


THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE  is  considered 
hy  vtany  to  be  equal  to  a  thorough,  practical  course 


in  a  veterinary  college,  and  copies  of  the  booh  can 
only  be  obtained  through  any  of  our  duly  authorized 
represen  ta  lives . 


o 

10 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  L 


SKELETON   OF  THE   HORSE. 

:is  cut  o-ives  the  names  of  all  the  joints  and  bones  in  the  body, 
also  the  number  of  bones  in  each   section.      Names 
marked  according-  to  numbers. 


i6, 


19 


Scapula,  or  shoulder  blade. 

Humerus,  or  shoulder  bone. 

Radius,  or  bone  of  fore-arm.  24. 

Ulna,  or  bone  of  fore-arm. 

Carpus, or  knee  (contains  8  bones). 

Metacarpal,  or  large  shin  bone. 

Small  Metacarpals,  or  splint  bones 

(2  in  number)  i  on  each  side.  26. 

Sesamoids,    or    fetlock    bones,    2 

small  bones  at  the  back  of  the       27, 
joint. 
Os  Suffraginis,    or    large  pastern        28. 

bone. 

Os  Coronae,  or  small  pastern  bone.        29. 

Os  Pedis,  or  foot  bone. 

Os   Naviculare,    or   shettle   bone,       30. 

situated  behind  the  coffin-joint,        31. 

and  is  the   seat  of  the   coffin-       2-- 

joint  lameness.  33- 

Femur,  or  hip  bone.  34- 

Patella,  or  stifle  bone.  35. 

Tibia  and  Fibula,  or  thigh  bones,       36. 

the  Fibula  being  a  small   bone       37. 

running  down  just  outside  the  I    3S. 

Tibia.  39' 

Tarsus,  or  hock  joint  (contains  6 

small  bones).  40' 

Metatarsal,  or  large  shin  bone.  41 

Metatarsals,  or  small  shin  bones       42 

(being  2  in  number). 
20,  21,  22  and  23  receive  the  same 
names  in  the  hind  leg  as  8,  9, 
10,  II  and   12  in  the  front  leg, 


being    the   same   from   the  fet- 
lock down. 
Cervical     region,    or    neck    bone 
(being  7  in  number). 

Dorsal  region,  or  back  bones 
(being  18  in  number)  to  corres- 
pond with  the  18  pairs  of  ribs. 

Lumbar  region,  or  small  of  the 
back  bones  (being  6  in  number). 

Sacral  region,  or  rump  bones 
(being  5  in  number). 

Coccygeal  region,  or  tail  bones 
(being  18  in  number). 

Cranium  bones,  or  bones  that 
protect  the  brain. 

Upper  and  lower  jaw  bones. 

Sternum,  or  breast  bone. 

Ribs,  18  pairs. 

Pelvis,  or  hip  bones. 

Shoulder  joint. 

Elbow  joint. 

Carpus,  or  knee  joint. 

Fetlock  joint. 

Pastern  joint. 

Coffin-joint,  which  is  situated 
within  the  hoof. 

Hip  joint. 

Stifle  joint. 

Tarsus,  or  hock  joint.  The  joints 
receive  the  same  name  from 
the  hock  down  in  the  hind  leg, 
as  from  knee  down  in  the  front 
leg. 


TJIE  VETERINAfiY  SCIENCE 

PARTI. 

ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE. 

CHAPTER   I. 

BONE. 

BONES  are  hard,  yellowish-white,  insensitive  objects  which 
form  the  skeleton  of  animals.  Living  bone  is  bluish 
pink,  insensitive  and  elastic.  On  exposure  to  air  it 
becomes  diseased  and  blackened,  and  is  very  sensitive  and  painful. 
Bones  are  made  up  of  two  kinds  of  matter — animal,  which 
makes  the  bone  tough  and  elastic,  and  earthy,  which  makes  it 
hard  and  brittle.  In  young  animals  the  animal  matter  forms 
one-half  of  the  substance,  which  afterwards  diminishes  to  one-third 
as  the  animal  advances  in  age.  This  is  why  we  account  for  old 
animals'  bones  being  easier  to  fracture  and  harder  to  mend. 

COVERING   OF   BONE. 

Bones  are  covered  by  a  tough,  fibrous,  inelastic  membrane 
called  periosteum,  which  can  be  seen  on  examining  a  bone  of  an 
animal  which  has  just  died.  The  only  exception  we  have  to  this 
is  at  the  joints  where  one  bone  articulates  with  another,  and 
where  a  tendon  or  muscle  plays  over  a  bone ;  here  we  find  its 
place  taken  by  articular  cartilage. 

CONTENTS   OF  BONE. 

We  find  in  the  extremities  or  near  the  ends  of  bones,  red 
marrow,  while   in   the  shaft  we   find   white  marrow. 

CLASSES   OF   BONE. 

Bones  are  classed  as  long,  flat  and  irregular.  Long  bones 
are  fovmd  in  the  extremities  or  legs,  and  serve  as  levers  for 
travelling  and  pillars  to  support  the  body.    Always  remember,  that 


10  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

long  bones  are  divided  into  a  shaft  and  two  extremities.  Flat 
bones  are  found  where  vital  organs  need  protection.  Example: 
Shoulder  blade  and  ribs,  to  protect  the  heart  and  lungs;  pelvic 
or  hip  bones,  to  protect  the  bladder,  rectum  and  other  urinary 
and  genital  organs;  also  the  cranial  bones,  to  protect  the  vital 
organ  called  the  brain.  Irregular  bones  are  found  in  the  spinal 
column  and  in  the  joints,  such  as  the  knee  or  carpus  hock  or 
tarsus,  where  great  strength   is  required. 

HEAD   BONES. 

In  speaking  of  the  different  points  of  importance  in  connec- 
tion with  the  head  bones  of  the  horse,  in  making  a  cross  or 
longitudinal  section  of  the  head,  you  will  notice  it  is  full  oi 
cavities  or  sinuses.  The  uses  of  these  are  to  lighten  the  head 
and  also  to  warm  the  air  as  it  passes  into  the  nostrils  on  its 
road  down  to  the  lungs;  you  will  also  find  it  is  full  of  foramen 
or  small  holes  for  the  nerves  from  the  brain  and  various  blood 
vessels  to  pass  through  to  the  organs  situated  in  the  head, 
such  as  the  tongue,  lips,  and  the  various  glands  in  and  around 
the  head. 

Then  we  have  the  cavities  in  which  the  eyes  are  situated, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  head,  called  the  orbital  fossa.  In  examining 
this  fossa  you  will  find  a  small  opening  or  foramen,  through 
which  the  optic  nerve  passes  in  coming  from  the  brain  to  the 
eye.  This  is  the  nerve  of  sight.  Then  the  most  important  part 
of  all  to  consider  is  the  cranial  cavity  in  which  that  very  impor- 
tant organ  is  situated  called  the  brain,  which  controls  all  the 
various   functions   and    movements  of  the   body. 

Then    we    have    another    point,    viz. :    the     situation    of    the 

drum   of  the   ear.      It   is    situated    in    the    hardest   bone   we   find 

in    the    whole    skeleton,    called    the     petrosal.      The     nerve     that 

gives   the   function  called  hearing  comes  from  the  brain  down  to 

the  petrosal  bone   and   enters   by   a  small    foramen   or  hole   into 

the  drum  of  the   ear  to  give   hearing.      This    nerve   is  called  the 

auditory  nerve. 

CERVICAL   OR   NECK   BONES. 

In  considering  these  bones,  we  find  seven   in   number.      The 

first  and    second  bones  proceeding  from  the  head   receive  special 

names.      The  first  one   is  called   the  atlas,  from    which   the   head 

is  suspended  and  attached   to;   it  somewhat  resembles  the  body  of 

a   bird    with    wing-s    out.      The    next    bone    receives    the    name    of 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  11 

dentata.  This  is  the  bone  which  allows  the  head  to  turn  in  any 
direction,  hence  it  is  sometimes  called  the  axis  or  pivot  of  the 
neck.  Between  these  two  bones,  on  the  upper  side,  is  the  only 
place  where  the  spinal  cord  is  not  covered  with  bone — a  spot 
about  the  size  of  a,  twenty-five  cent  piece.  Here  is  where  the 
operation  of  pithing-  is  performed  in  destroying-  the  horse.  It  is 
done  by  running  a  sharp  instrument,  such  as  a  knife,  fairly  in  the 
centre  of  the  neck  about  four  inches  behind  the  ears,  and  passing^ 
in  this  hole  throug^h  the  coverings  of  the  spine  into  that  very  vital 
org-an  called  the  spinal  cord,  causing  death  instantaneously.  The 
next  four  bones  receive  no  name,  and  are  about  the  same  in  size 
and  length.  The  last,  or  seventh  bone  is  only  about  one-half  the 
length  of  the  preceding  ones  and  receives  no  special  name. 

DORSAL   OR  BACK-BONES. 

In  considering  these  bones  we  find  eighteen  in  number.  The 
chief  points  of  interest  about  them  are  the  height  of  the 
spines  on  the  upper  part  of  the  bones.  These  large  spines  form 
the  withers  of  the  horse,  as  you  will  notice  in  the  skeleton.  On 
either  side  of  these  bones  we  find  the  ribs  attached,  eighteen  pairs 
corresponding  with  the  number  of  bones  in  this  region. 

LUMBAR  OR  SMALL-OF-BACK  BONES. 

In  considering  these  bones  we  find  six  in  number,  and  they 
are  situated  immediately  above  the  kidneys. 

SACRAL  OR  RUMP  BONES. 

In  considering  these  bones  we  find  five  in  numbe*-  in  the 
young  horse,  which  become  united  and  form  one  in  the  adult. 
These  are  situated  between  the  upper  hip  bones  and  help  to  form 
the  rump  of  the  horse.      Beneath  these  bones  the  bladder  is  situated. 

COCCYGEAL  OR  TAIL  BONES. 
In  considering  these  bones  we  find  eighteen  in  number.      The 
principal    points   of    interest   in    these    are,    they   become   smaller 
as  they  proceed  towards  the  point  of  the  tail. 

HIP  OR  PELVIC  BONES. 

These  are  three   in  number,   viz.:    Ilium,   ischium,   and   pubis. 

The  largest  is  the  ilium,  passing  upwards  and  forwards,  the  outer 

part  of  it  forming  the  pin  of  the  hip  or  outer  angle.      The  back  or 

posterior  part  of  this  bone  forms  a  third  of  the  articular  surface  of 


12  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Liie  round  joint  and  also  helps  to  form  the  upper  wall  of  the  pelvic 
or  hip  cavity.  The  ischium  passes  back  from  the  round  joint  and 
helps  to  form  the  floor  of  the  pelvic  cavity,  and  can  be  felt  in  a 
horse  that  is  poor  in  flesh  projecting-  out  below  the  tail  on  each  side. 
The  pubis,  the  smallest  of  the  three  bones,  is  situated  immediately 
in  front  of  the  ischium  bone  and  forms  the  floor  of  the  pelvic  cavity. 

STERNUM  OR  BREAST  BONE. 

This  bone  is  small  and  short  in  the  horse  and  is  situated  on 
the  lower  side  of  the  chest  cavity.  The  principal  points  of  this 
bone  are  that  it  is  the  softest  one  in  the  horse,  and  the  first  eight 
pairs  of  ribs  are  attached  to  it  on  either  side.  This  bone,  in  the 
horse,  resembles  a  small,  flat  boat. 

RIBS. 

In  considering  the  ribs  we  find  eighteen  pairs.  They  form 
the  lateral  wall  of  the  thorax  or  chest  cavity  and  aff"ord  protection 
to  the  heart  and  lungs.  They  are  attached  above  to  the  dorsal 
region  of  the  back  bone.  Below,  the  first  eight  pair  are  attached 
to  the  sternum,  or  breast  bone  ;  these  are  called  the  true  ribs  of 
the  horse;  the  next  ten  pair  are  not  attached  to  the  sternum 
below,  the  lower  ends  being  free,  and  are  continued  downwards 
and  forwards  by  a  small  piece  of  cartilage  or  gristle,  and  are  just 
slightly  attached  to  the  breast  bone  ;  these  are  called  the  false  ribs. 
Also  remember  that,  starting  with  the  first  rib,  they  get  longer 
until  we  get  to  the  ninth  rib  ;  afterwards  they  get  shorter  until  the 
last  rib  is  reached,  it  being  only  a  few  inches  long. 

NUMBER  OF  BONES  IN  SKELETON  OF  HORSE. 

In  the  head  of  the  colt  is  found  thirty-eight  bones,  not  includ- 
ing the  teeth,  but  in  after  life  we  find  a  great  many  bones  become 
attached  to  each  other  by  a  process  called  ossification. 

Head 38 

Spinal  column 54 

Pelvic  cavity  or  hips,  three  pair  or  six  single (j 

Ribs,  eighteen  pair 86 

Breast 1 

Both  front  legs 42 

Both  hind  legs 36 

Ear,  bones  very  small  and  unimpoitaut 3 

Total,  not  including  the  teeth 216 

The  teeth  are  dealt  with  separately  in  another  section  of  this  book. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  la 

CHAPTER    II. 

CONSIDERATION  OF  JOINTS, 

THE  \-arious  structures  which  enter  into  the  formation  of 
joints  are  the  extremities  of  bone,  ligaments,  cartilage, 
and  sometimes  we  have  muscles  which  help  to  support 
the  joint.  All  articular  joints  are  supplied  with  a  synovial  mem- 
brane, which  secretes  the  synovia  or  joint  oil  for  lubricating-  the  joint. 

Cartilage,  or  what  is  familiarly  called  gristle,  are  of  two 
kinds,  viz.:  articular  and  fibrous.  The  fibrous  is  not  of  much 
importance  and  does  not  need  much  consideration  ;  it  is  found  in 
various  parts  of  the  body.  But  the  articular  cartilage,  which 
covers  over  the  ends  of  bones  where  they  form  a  joint,  is  of  more 
importance. 

Ligaments  are  strong  fibrous  bands  found  principally  around 
joints.  They  are  of  two  kinds,  capsular  and  binding.  A  capsular 
ligament  is  a  thin  membrane,  attached  around  the  end  of  each  bone, 
which  helps  to  form  a  joint,  and  is,  as  it  were,  air-tight.  The 
uses  of  these  ligaments  are  to  keep  the  joint  oil  from  escaping, 
and  partly  helps  to  hold  the  bone  together.  On  the  inside  lining 
of  this  ligament  we  find  the  synovia  membrane  which  secretes  the 
joint  oil.  Binding  ligaments  are  generally  found  on  each  side  of 
of  the  joint,  and  are  very  strong  bands  of  fibrous  tissue.  The  uses 
of  these  ligaments  are  to  hold  the  bones  of  the  joint  firmly  together. 

THE  IMPORTANT  POINTS  OF  JOINTS  IN  THE  LEGS. 

Shoulder  Joint. — This  joint  is  formed  by  the  shoulder  blade, 
or  scapula,  and  humerus  or  shoulder  bone.  This  is  a  ball-and- 
socket  joint,  and  has  a  strong  capsular  ligament,  and  is  held  to  its 
place  also  by  several  large  muscles,  the  most  important  one 
being  the  flexor  brachii,  which  passes  down  over  the  shoulder 
joint  through  a  pulley-like  process  on  the  bone,  and  is  held  down  by  a 
binding  ligament  which  is  supplied  by  a  synovial  membrane,  or  sack. 
This  is  the  seat  of  what  is  called  shoulder  joint  lameness.  The 
motion  of  this  joint  is  outwards  or  inwards,  backwards  or  forwards. 

Elbow  Joint  is  formed  by  the  lower  part  of  the  humerus  and 
the  upper  part  of  the  radius  and  ulna.  It  has  a  capsular  ligament 
and  binding  ligaments,  one  on  the  inside  and  one  on  the  outside. 
The  action  of  this  joint  is  just  forwards  and  backwards,  or  flection 
and  extension,  but  has  no  side  motion. 


14  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Carpus,  or  Knee. — This  is  a  very  important  joint,  constructed 
of  eight  bones,  having-  two  rows,  four  in  each,  held  together 
by  strong,  short  Hgaments.  Thus  we  have  three  separate  articular 
surfaces  in  this  joint.  The  top  side  of  the  upper  row  articulates 
with  the  bone  of  fore  arm  ;  this  surface  gives  the  most  motion  to 
the  knee.  Another  articulation  between  the  two  rows  of  bones  gives 
slight  motion  to  the  knee,  but  not  so  much  as  the  upper  articular 
surface.  Between  the  lower  part  of  the  lower  row  of  bones  and 
the  upper  part  of  metacarpal,  or  shin  bones  is  another  articular 
surface  which  gives  slight  motion  to  the  knee.  This  joint  has  a 
large  capsular  ligament,  and  has  binding  ligaments  inside 
and  outside.      The  action  of  this  joint  is  the  same  as  elbow  joint. 

Fetlock  Joint.— This  is  formed  above  by  the  lower  part  of  the 
shin,  or  metacarpal  bone,  and  below  by  the  upper  part  of  the  large 
pastern  bone.  At  the  back  of  this  joint  we  have  two  small  bones 
called  the  sesamoid  bones.  This  joint  has  a  capsular  and  two 
lateral  binding  ligaments.  The  motion  of  this  joint  is  backwards 
and  forwards,  same  as  knee. 

Pastern  Joint. — This  joint  is  situated  just  above  the  hoof,  and 
is  formed  by  the  lower  end  of  the  large  pastern  bone  and  the  upper 
end  of  the  small  pastern  bone.  It  has  a  capsular  and  lateral  binding 
ligaments,  same  as  fetlock  joint.  It  also  has  same  motion  as  fetlock 
joint,  and  is  sometimes  the  seat  of  what  is  termed  a  high  ringbone. 

Coffin  Joint. — This  joint  is  situated  within  the  hoof  of  the 
horse.  It  is  formed  above  by  the  lower  end  of  the  small  pastern 
bone,  and  below  by  the  upper  part  of  the  foot  bone,  or  os  pedis. 
Immediately  behind  this  joint,  and  articulating  with  the  other  two 
bones,  we  have  the  navicular,  or  shuttle  bone — it  gets  its  name 
from  its  likeness  to  the  shuttle  of  a  sewing  machine.  This  bone 
is  the  seat  of  navicular  disease,  or  otherwise  called  coffin-joint 
lameness,  and  also  is  affected  with  what  is  sometimes  called  a 
low-down   ringbone. 

JOINTS  OF  HIND  LEG. 

Hip  Joint. — This  is  a  ball-and-socket  joint,  similar  to  shoulder 
joint.  It  has  a  capsular  ligament  and  what  is  called  a  round 
ligament,  in  the  joint,  holding  the  head  of  the  bone  in  the  socket, 
which  can  be  seen  plainly  on  examining  the  joint.  This  is  an 
important  ligament,  as  it  often  becomes  strained,  which  is  the  seat 
of  hip  joint  lameness.  It  is  also  held  together  by  the  heavy 
muscles  of  the  hip.     Its  motion  is  similar  to  that  of  shoulder  joint. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  15 

Stifle  Joint. — ^This  joint  is  formed  above  by  the  lower  end  ot 
the  femur,  or  hip  bone,  and  the  upper  end  of  the  tibia,  or  thig^h 
bone.  These  two  bones  in  front  form  a  pulley-like  surface  on 
which  the  patella,  or  stifle  bone  is  situated.  This  bone,  when  the 
Joint  is  in  motion,  g^lides  up  and  down  over  the  pulley-like  surface. 
It  sometimes  becomes  displaced,  and  this  is  termed  dislocation 
of  the  stifle  bone.  This  is  an  important  point  to  notice  about  this 
joint.  It  has  a  capsular  and  lateral,  or  binding  ligaments  ;  also 
three  very  important  ligaments,  called  the  straight  ligaments, 
which  holds  the  stifle  bone  to  its  place  as  it  plays  upon  the  pulley- 
like process  of  this  joint.  The  motion  is  backwards  and  forwards, 
same  as  elbow  joint. 

Hock  or  Tarsus  Joint. — This  joint  contains  six  bones.  The 
two  upper  bcnes,  one  of  which  is  a  pulley-like  bone  placed  in 
front,  and  the  other  one  placed  behind,  forms  that  part  of  the 
hock  which  is  called  the  point  of  the  hock  to  which  the  muscles  of 
the  gamb  are  attached,  which  can  be  easily  seen  or  felt.  The  upper 
surface  of  these  two  bones  articulate  with  the  lower  extremity  of 
the  tibia,  or  thigh  bone,  and  forms  a  true  articulation  of  the  hock 
joint.  This  part  is  what  gives  most  of  the  motion  to  the 
joint.  Below  those  we  find  three  other  small,  flat  bones,  placed 
one  upon  the  other,  having  articular  surfaces  between  each  one. 
These  are  called  the  cuneiform  bones  of  the  hock.  Immediately 
behind  these  three  small  bones  we  have  what  is  termed  the  cuboid 
bone.  This  bone  also  articulates  with  the  cuneiform  bones,  help- 
ing to  form  the  articular  surface  of  the  hock.  The  lower  articular 
surfaces  help  to  give  a  small  amount  of  motion  to  the  joint.  This 
joint  is  the  seat  of  the  disease  termed  spavin. 

Fetlock,  Pastern  and  Coffin  Joints  are  similar  to  those  in 

front  leg. 

In  speaking  of  ligaments,  there  is  another  very  important 
one  to  mention  which  is  called  the  ligamentum  nucha,  which 
supports  the  head  when  the  muscles  are  at  rest.  This  extends 
from  the  pole  of  the  head  backwards  under  the  mane  and  is 
attached  to  the  spine  of  the  dorsal  vertebrae  or,  commonly  called, 
the  withers  of  the  horse.  This  ligament  is  chiefly  made  up  of 
fibro  elastic  tissue,  and  will  stretch  much  the  same  as  a  piece  of 
elastic. 


16  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER   III. 

THE  MUSCULAR  SYSTEM 

COMMONLY  CALLED  FLESH. 

"^^USCLES  are  the  chief  organs  of  motion,  each  one  being 
/  ^  1  separated  from  the  other  by  a  thin,  delicate  membrane 
-^  -*-  made  up  of  connective  tissue,  which  forms  a  sheath  for 
the  muscle.  A  muscle  is  divided  into  two  parts,  viz. :  muscular 
and  tendinous.  The  muscular  part  is  the  larger  of  the  two  and 
forms  the  larger  portion  of  it,  and  is  sometimes  called  the 
belly  of  the  muscle.  It  is  made  of  muscular  tissue,  which  has  a 
reddish  meaty  color.  At  both  ends  of  the  muscle  we  find  a 
tendinous  part,  or  the  hard,  white  portion  of  the  muscle  where  it 
becomes  attached  to  the  bone.  Every  muscle  is  attached  to  two 
or  more  places  on  different  bones,  and,  upon  their  contraction, 
moves  the  joints  of  the  body.  They  are  well  supplied  with  nerves, 
which  give  strength  and  feeling,  and  also  well  supplied  with  small 
blood  vessels,  from  which  the  muscle  is  fed.  Muscles  are  found 
in  separate  groups,  all  of  which  have  different  actions  to  perform. 
There  are  two  kinds  of  muscles — voluntary  and  involuntary.  The 
voluntary  muscles  are  under  the  control  of  the  will  of  the  animal  ; 
example — the  muscles  of  the  legs,  hip,  back,  head,  and  neck. 
The  involuntary  muscles  are  beyond  control  of  the  animal,  and 
will  act  even  though  the  animal  were  asleep — such  as  the  heart, 
the  large  muscular  curtain  which  separates  the  chest  cavity  from 
the  abdominal  cavity,  which  is  one  of  the  great  muscles  of 
breathing ;  also  the  muscles  around  the  chest  which  assist  in 
breathing. 

Voluntary  Muscles  are  in  groups.  The  first  one  we  call 
attention  to,  after  removing  the  skin,  is  a  thin  muscle  almost 
entirely  covering  the  body,  and  is  sometimes  accidentally  removed 
if  not  careful  in  skinning  the  animal.  The  action  of  this  muscle  is 
to  shake  the  skin  when  flies  or  something  bother  the  horse.  At 
the  head  we  find  a  group  of  muscles  which  assist  in  chewing,  or 
masticating,  the  food.  Around  the  throat  is  another  set  of 
muscles,  sometimes  called  the  muscles  of  the  gullet,  or  pharynx, 
which  assist  in  swallowing.  The  neck  muscles  are  divided  into 
two  groups,  one  on  each  side.  The  action  of  these  are  to  raise 
and  lower  the  head,  also  to  turn  the  neck  and  head  from  side  to 
side.      The  muscles  of  the   back    are   generally    divided    inlo   two 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  17 

groups,  one  above  the  spinal  column  and  the  other  below.  The 
muscles  above  the  spine  assist  the  animal  in  running,  jumping  and 
rearing-.  The  muscles  below  the  spine  are  sometimes  called  the 
lumbar,  or  psose,  situated  below  the  lumbar  bones,  or  the  bones 
of  the  small  of  the  back.  Below  these  muscles  are  the  kidneys. 
The  action  of  these  muscles  is  to  assist  the  animal  in  getting  up. 
These  muscles  are  important,  for  when  paralyzed  the  horse  cannot 
use  his  hindquarters  in  trying  to  get  up. 

The  Gluteal  Muscles,  or  the  muscles  of  the  hip,  are  very  large, 
filling  in  around  the  hip  bones.  The  action  of  these  is  much  the 
same  as  those  of  the  back,  as  they  assist  in  jumpx^^,  running, 
rearing,  and  in  raising  the  hind  leg. 

The  Abdominal  Muscles,  or  belly  muscles,  are  four  large,  flat 
muscles  on  each  side  of  the  abdomen,  or  belly.  The  outer  edge 
of  these  muscles  are  attached  to  the  outer  ends  of  the  false  ribs, 
also  to  the  processes  of  the  lumbar  bones  and  the  outer  angles  ot 
the  hip  bones.  They  unite  below  to  what  is  called  the  linea  alba, 
which  is  a  hard,  white,  fibrous  cord,  and  is  attached  in  front  to 
the  back  part  of  the  breast-bone,  passing  back  in  the  centre  of 
the  belly,  and  is  attached  to  the  front  of  the  pubic  bones,  or  what 
is  called  the  lower  bones  of  the  hip  cavity.  About  ten  inches  from 
where  it  is  attached  here,  passing  forward,  we  find  a  small  slit,  or 
hole,  which  is  called  the  navel,  or  umbilical  opening,  where  the 
naval  vessels  pass  in  and  out  during  the  foetus  life,  or  before  the 
colt  is  foaled.  This  is  a  point  of  importance  to  note,  for  some- 
times at  the  time  of  birth  this  opening  does  not  close  and  allows 
the  bowels  to  come  down  and  form  what  is  known  as  navel,  or 
umbilical  rupture. 

Before  finishmg  the  description  of  this  group  of  muscles  we 
will  mention  a  very  large,  important  ligament  which  is  found 
spread  all  over  the  abdomen,  or  belly,  of  the  horse.  It  is  of  a 
yellowish  color  and  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  thick,  attached  in 
front  to  the  back  of  the  breast  bone  and  to  the  hip  bones  behind. 
This  is  the  first  structure  seen  after  removing  the  skin  from  the 
belly.  This  ligament  gives  great  support  to  the  organs  contained 
in  the  abdominal  cavity.  The  action,  or  uses,  of  the  abdominal 
muscles  are  to  support  the  organs  contained  in  the  abdominal  cavity,, 
to  flex  the  back-bone  and  assist  in  the  passing  of  the  faeces,  or 
manure.  In  the  mare  these  muscles  assist  her  in  foaling,  or 
parturition. 

2 


18  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE, 

The  Coccygeal,  or  Muscles  of  the  Tail.— In  these  we  find  four 

important  ones — one  situated  on  the  upper  side  of  the  tail  when  it 
is  straig-ht  out,  its  action  is  to  raise  the  tail  ;  two  are  situated  one 
on  each  side  of  the  tail,  they  have  the  power  of  drawing-  the  tail  to 
either  side  ;  the  last  one  we  mention  is  situated  under  the  tail  and 
is  the  smallest  one  of  the  four,  its  action  is  to  draw  the  tail  down. 
The  Shoulder  Muscles  are  very  large  and  powerful  ones. 
There  are  only  three  of  great  importance,  viz.:  The  two  situated 
on  the  outside  of  the  shoulder  blade  ;  these  are  important  as  they 
are  the  seat  of  the  disease  called  sweeny.  The  other  important 
one  is  that  which  passes  down  over  the  shoulder  joint  through 
the  groove  or  pulley-like  surface  on  the  shoulder  bone.  This  is  a 
long,  powerful  muscle,  attached  above  to  the  lower  end  of  the 
shoulder  blade,  down  through  the  groove  mentioned  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  bone  to  the  fore  arm,  or  radius,  at  the  front  side.  Its 
chief  point  of  importance  rests  in  its  action  in  raising  the  front  leg, 
where  it  passes  through  the  pulley-like  surface  mentioned,  when  it 
becomes  injured  or  diseased  ;  it  is  also  the  seat  of  shoulder  joint 
lameness. 

Muscles  of  Front  Leg,  from  shoulder  down,  are  divided  into 
two  separate  kinds,  viz. :    the  extensor  and  flexor  muscles. 

The  extensor  muscles  are  the  ones  which  bring  the  leg  forward. 
These  muscles,  above,  are  attached  to  the  bones  around  the 
elbow  joint,  passing  down  in  front  of  the  arm  bones.  About 
three  inches  above  the  knee  they  become  changed  into  the 
tendinous  part  of  these  muscles,  or  what  is  called  the  cords  of  the 
leg.  Some  of  them  are  attached  to  the  knee  joint,  while  others 
pass  over  the  front  of  the  joint  and  are  held  down  to  their  place 
by  a  band  or  ligament,  forming  a  loop,  as  it  were,  for  this  muscle 
to  glide  in  when  the  leg  is  in  action.  Each  one  of  these  loops, 
where  the  muscles  pass  through,  are  supplied  with  a  synovial 
membrane  to  secrete  the  synovia,  or  oil,  which  lubricate  it  during 
.action,  the  same  as  in  the  joint.  This  is  a  point  of  importance, 
:as  sometimes,  on  account  of  injury  or  strain  of  this  part  of  the 
joint  where  the  muscle  plays  through,  we  find  a  small  puflfy 
enlargement  containing  oil  secreted  by  the  synovial  membrane. 
This  disease  is  what  is  called  a  bursal  enlargement. 

The  flexor  muscles  are  the  ones  situated  at  the  back  part  of 
the  leg,  attached  above  to  the  back  part  of  the  elbow  joint,  passing 
downwards   at   the   back   part  of  the   leg.      About    two    or    three 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  19 

inches  above  the  back  part  of  the  knee  joint  they  become  tendinous, 
and  from  there  down  to  the  back  part  of  the  foot  bone,  where  two 
of  the  principal  muscles  are  attached;  these  form  what  is  known  as 
the  back  tendons,  or  cords,  of  the  leg^.  Some  of  them  become 
attached  to  the  back  part  of  the  knee,  same  as  the  muscles  on  the 
front  part  of  the  leg,  while  the  other  two  principal  tendons  pass 
through  a  loop  formed  by  ligaments,  the  same  as  those  mentioned 
in  the  front  part  of  the  knee.  In  tracing  these  tendons  down  from 
the  knee  to  the  fetlock,  they  pass  through  another  large  loop  or 
sheath  formed  at  the  hick  of  the  fetlock,  where  some  of  the  fibres 
are  attached,  while  others  continue  down  at  the  back  part  of  the 
pastern  bones,  and  are  attached  to  the  os  pedis,  or  foot  bone 
These  tendons  are  important  as  they  are  known,  when  they  are 
strained,  as  the  strain  of  the  back  tendons.  The  action  of  these 
muscles  is  to  flex  the  leg,  bend  the  knee,  pastern  joints  and  fetlock. 

Muscles  of  Hind  Leg:. — These  are  also  divided  into  two 
groups,  extensor  and  flexor. 

The  extensor  muscles  are  situated  in  front  of  the  hind  leg  ; 
attached,  above,  around  the  stifle  joint,  passing  downwards  in 
front  of  the  thigh  bone,  one  being  attached  to  the  front  part  of  the 
hock,  while  the  other  passes  through  sheaths,  or  loops,  which  is 
supplied  by  a  synovial  membrane,  formed  by  ligaments,  to  hold 
the  muscles  firm  in  front  while  the  leg  is  in  action.  In  tracing 
them  down,  in  front  of  the  shin  bone  to  the  fetlock,  we  find  them 
passing  through  loops,  or  sheaths,  continuing  down  in  front  of 
the  pastern  bones  to  where  they  are  attached.  The  action  of  these 
is  to  bring  the  leg  forward. 

The  flexor  muscles  of  the  hind  leg  are  attached,  above, 
around  the  back  part  of  the  stifle  joint.  In  tracing  them  down  it 
is  found  they  become  tendinous.  Two  of  the  principal  ones  pass 
down  to  that  part  of  the  hock  joint,  which  sticks  up  behind,  known 
as  the  cap.  These  form  what  is  called  the  gamb  of  the  leg,  and 
are  partly  attached  at  the  point  of  the  hock,  the  other  part  passing 
down  to  the  fetlock  joint  through  a  loop,  or  sheath,  along  the 
hack  part  of  the  pastern  bones,  and  are  attached  to  the  foot  bone. 
This  muscle,  from  the  hock  down,  forms  one  of  the  back  tendons 
of  the  hind  leg.  Another  important  muscle  is  found  passing  down 
underneath  the  ones  already  mentioned,  through  a  loop,  or 
sheath,  at  the  back  part  of  the  hock,  where  it  is  supplied  with  a 
synovia  sack.      This  is  a  point  of  importance,  for  when  it  becomes 


20  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

strained  it  is  the  seat  of  what  is  called  thoroughpin.  It  then 
passes  down  the  back  part  of  the  shin  bone  beneath  the  other 
tendon  already  mentioned,  through  the  loop  at  the  fetlock  to  the 
back  part  of  the  foot  bone,  where  it  is  attached.  The  action  of 
these  muscles  are  to  flex  or  bend  the  fetlock  and  raise  the  hock  joint 
in  travelling. 

Involuntary  Muscles,  or  muscles  which  are  not  under  the 
control  of  the  will.  The  first  we  call  attention  to  are  the  muscles 
of  breathing,  •  or  respiration  ;  they  are  a  group  situated  around 
the  chest  in  such  a  way  as  to  enlarge  the  chest  cavity  and 
draw  the  air  into  the  lungs — this  action  is  called  inspiration — while 
others  in  acting  decreases  the  size  of  the  chest  cavity  and  forces 
the  air  out  of  the  lungs,  which  is  called  expiration.  The  diaphragm 
is  a  muscular  curtain  which  separates  the  chest  from  the  abdominal 
cavity,  and  also  assists  greatly  in  drawing  the  air  in,  when  it 
contracts  ;  this  muscle  also  assists  in  passing  manure,  and  in  the 
mare  foaling.  It  separates  the  heart  and  lungs  from  the  bowels, 
liver  and  stomach.  Everyone  interested  should  examine  this 
muscle,    which    can    be    seen    by    opening    any    dead    animal. 

There  is  one  muscle  which  is  both  voluntary  and  involuntary. 
It  is  situated  in  the  penis,  surrounding  the  urethra,  or  the  tube, 
which  carries  the  urine  from  the  bladder  to  the  penis  in  the  male 
animal.  Its  action  is  voluntary  while  the  animal  is  passing  urine, 
or  water.  It  acts  involuntary  during  sexual  intercourse,  forcing 
the  semen  down  through  the  penis.  There  is  what  is  known  by 
the  name  of  fat  situated  between  the  muscles. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

THIS  system  is  a  very  important  set  of  organs  which  give 
motion  and  feeling  to  the  body,  and  the  different  senses, 
such  as  seeing,  hearing,  smelling  and  tasting.  The  two 
principal  parts  of  the  nervous  system  are  the  brain  and  spinal 
cord.  The  brain,  being  the  centre  of  the  whole  nervous  system, 
is  situated  in  the  cranial  cavity,  surrounded  by  three  delicate 
membranes,  the  outer  one  being  attached  to  the  inner  wall  of  the 
cranial  cavity.  The  brain  contains  several  important  nerves 
called  the  cranial  nerves,  which  are  given  off  from  the  brain  and 
passed  down  through   the   various   foramen    or    openings   in    the 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  21 

liead  to  supply  the  different  organs  situated  there,  such  as  the 
•optic  nerve,  which  passes  down  to  the  eye,  giving  the  sense  o! 
sight.  The  auditory  nerve  passes  down  to  the  drum  of  the 
ear  to  give  the  sense  of  hearing.  The  aulfactory  nerves,  whicli 
give  the  sense  of  smell,  are  situated  in  the  mucus  membrane 
lining  the  nose.  The  nerves  passing  down  to  the  tongue  give 
the  sense  of  taste.  Other  nerves  pass  down  to  the  lips,  teeth, 
mouth  and  face,  giving  motion  and  feeling  to  the  parts  mentioned ; 
-others  pass  down  to  the  gullet  or  pharynx,  giving  it  the  power  of 
swallowing.  In  passing  from  the  brain  along  the  spinal  cord, 
which  is  situated  in  the  opening  of  the  bones  of  the  back,  there 
^re  numerous  small  nerves  given  off  to  supply  the  muscles  of 
the  neck,  giving  the  neck  motion  and  feeling.  About  opposite  the 
shoulder  blade,  or  withers,  the  spinal  cord  gives  off  a  large  bunch 
of  nerves,  part  of  which  supplies  the  heart  and  lungs  with  nervous 
power.  This  is  a  point  of  importance,  for  if  the  spinal  cord 
becomes  injured  in  front  of  these  nerves  it  causes  immediate  death. 
The  other  part  of  this  bunch  of  nerves  supply  the  shoulder,  chest, 
^nd  muscles  of  the  front  legs.  Passing  backwards  along  the 
spinal  cord  is  found  the  sympathetic  system  of  nerves,  which  go 
to  supply  the  bowels,  stomach,  liver,  kidneys,  and  other  organs 
situated  in  the  abdominal  cavity.  Continuing  backwards  along 
the  spinal  cord,  to  about  opposite  the  hip  bones,  we  find  another 
lot  of  nerves,  one  of  which  goes  to  supply  the  rectum,  or  back 
bowel  ;  this  gives  the  power  of  passing  manure.  Others  go  to 
the  womb  and  bladder  ;  these  assist  in  urinating  by  con- 
tracting the  bladder.  Other  nerves  pass  to  the  small  organs 
situated  in  the  pelvic  cavity;  some  of  these  nerves  pass  down  to  the 
Iiind  legs,  supplying  them  with  nervous  power.  The  balance  of 
the  nerves  of  the  spinal   cord  go  to  supply  the  tail. 

Nerves  have  the  appearance  of  bunches  of  white  thread   held 
together  by  connective  tissue. 


22  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  V. 

CIRCULATORY  SYSTEM. 

THIS  is  an  important  system  to  understand  on  account  of  it 
being  the  means  by  which  the  various  parts  of  the  body 
are  fed  or  nourished.  The  principal  points  to  consider 
are  the  heart,  arteries,  capillary  vessels,  veins,  and  the  very 
important  fluid  they  carry,  called  the  blood.  Considering  the 
heart,  we  find  this  the  main  organ  of  circulation  ;  it  weighs  about 
six  and  one-half  pounds  in  the  average  horse  ;  it  acts  as  a  force 
pump  to  force  the  blood  through  the  vessels  already  named.  It 
is  made  of  strong  muscular  tissue,  which  acts  involuntary,  and  is 
situated  between  the  lungs,  which  are  divided  by  what  is  known 
as  the  mediastinum,  which  is  a  division  between  the  lungs  and  is 
made  up  of  two  folds,  the  heart  being  between  these.  The  bottom 
end,  or  apex,  of  the  heart  is  downwards  and  rests  just  above  the 
breast-bone;  the  base,  or  upper  part,  being  directed  upwards  and 
to  the  left  side,  the  left  lung  having  a  hollow  on  its  inside  for  the 
Iieart  to  work  in.  There  is  a  covering  or  sack  around  the  heart 
which  helps  to  protect  and  support  it  in  its  place,  attached  above 
to  back-bone  and  below  to  the  bones  of  the  sternum,  or  breast-bone. 
This  sack  is  made  up  of  fibrous  tissue  and  is  of  a  whitish  appear- 
ance ;  inside  it  is  smooth,  and  has  numerous  small  glands  which 
secrete  an  oily  substance  called  serous  fluid,  which  lubricates  the 
outer  wall  of  the  heart  and  the  inner  wall  of  the  sack  so  that  in 
action  it  does  not  irritate  the  walls.  The  cavity  in  the  heart  is 
divided  into  two  parts,  the  right  and  left  sides;  each  one  of  these 
parts  are  again  divided  into  an  upper  cavity  called  auricle  and  a 
lower  cavity  called  ventricle  ;  thus  we  have  the  right  and  left 
ventricle  and  right  and  left  auricle.  The  right  auricle  communi- 
cates with  the  right  ventricle  through  an  opening  in  the  septum, 
or  partition  in  the  right  side  of  the  heart.  This  opening  is  guarded 
by  a  valve  to  keep  the  blood  from  flowing  back  into  the  auricle. 
The  left  auricle  communicates  with  the  left  ventricle,  same  as  on 
the  right  side.  The  right  side  of  the  heart  is  sometimes  called  the 
venous  ;  this  side  only  deals  with  the  impure  blood.  The  left  side 
is  sometimes  called  arterial  side,  and  only  deals  with  pure  blood  ; 
this  side  of  the  heart  is  very  much  stronger  and  thicker  than  the 
riirht  side. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  23 

In  tracing  the  blood  througfh  the  heart,  commencing  at  the 
right  auricle,  we  find  the  two  large  veins  of  the  body,  called  the 
anterior  and  posterior  vena  cavas,  which  empty  the  impure  blood 
of  the  body  into  the  right  auricle  of  the  heart.  It  is  there  guarded 
by  two  small  valves  at  the  mouth  of  each  vein,  while  the  right 
auricle  contracts,  forcing  the  blood  down  through  the  hole  in  the 
septum  into  the  right  ventricle.  It  is  there  guarded  by  a  valve  to 
keep  the  blood  from  flowing  back,  while  the  right  ventricle 
contracts  and  forces  the  blood  up  into  the  pulmonary  artery,  which 
passes  only  two  or  three  inches  above  the  heart  and  divides  into 
two  branches,  one  to  the  right  lung  and  the  other  to  the  left  lung. 
These  again  divide  into  other  small  arteries,  which  f\ow  into  what 
is  known,  as  the  capill'Ary  network.  This  network  is  situated 
around  the  air  cells  of  the  lungs,  where,  by  a  process,  the  blood 
gives  off  carbonic  acid  gas,  which  is  breathed  out  along  with  the 
air.  The  blood  takes  in  the  oxygen  from  the  pure  air,  which 
changes  the  color  of  the  blood  from  a  black  red  to  a  bright  red. 
This  is  a  point  of  importance  to  note  as  it  shows  that  stables 
should  be  well  ventilated  so  that  animals  can  have  plenty  of  pure 
air.  The  blood  now  flows  into  the  pulmonary  veins,  which  carry 
the  pure  blood  back  to  the  heart  to  be  emptied  into  the  left  auricle. 
Here  these  veins  are  guarded  with  valves  so  as  not  to  allow  the 
blood  to  flow  back  while  the  left  auricle  contracts  to  force  the 
blood  down  through  the  opening  mentioned  before  into  the  lefi 
auricle.  This  opening  is  also  guarded  by  valves  so  as  not  to  allow 
the  blood  to  flow  back  while  the  left  ventricle  contracts,  with  great 
force,  to  drive  the  blood  up  into  the  common  aorta,  the  largest 
artery  in  the  body,  which  passes  above  the  heart  two  or  three 
inches,  and,  just  below  the  backbone,  breaks  into  branches,  one 
passing  forward  and  supplying  the  parts  of  the  body  in  front  of 
the  heart,  the  other  branch  passing  backward  under  the  spinal 
bones,  supplying  the  parts  of  the  body  behind  the  heart. 

The  branch  which  goes  forward  runs  under  the  spine 'just  a 
few  inches,  where  it  breaks  into  other  branches,  some  going  to 
supply  the  shoulder  and  front  leg;  the  other  branches  being  two 
large  ones,  one  passing  on  each  side  of  the  neck  under  the  jugular 
vein,  which  are  called  carotid  arteries.  These  give  off  small 
branches,  as  they  pass  up  the  side  of  the  neck,  to  feed  the 
muscles  and  other  parts  thereof,  while  just  below  the  butt  of  the 
ear,  this  artery  breaks  into  three  large  branches,  which  go  to 
supply  the  brain   and  different  parts  of  the  head.      In  considering 


24  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

the  branch  which  runs  backwards  from  the  heart,  we  find  it  a 
very  long,  large  artery,  passing  just  below  the  spine,  between 
the  kidneys,  breaking  up  about  six  inches  behind  them  into  four 
large  branches — two  on  the  left  and  two  on  the  right  side. 
One  on  the  left  goes  to  supply  the  left  hip  and  organs  in  the  pelvic 
or  hip  cavity,  while  the  other  passes  down  the  left  leg  to  supply 
it  with  blood;  one  on  the  right  side  helps  to  supply  the  right  hip 
and  pelvic  cavity,  while  the  other  passes  down  the  right  leg. 
This  large  branch,  in  passing  back  along  the  spine,  gives  off 
small  branches— one  to  the  liver,  one  to  the  spleen,  one  to  the 
stomach,  and  branches  to  the  large  and  small  bowels,  and  one 
to  each  kidney. 

Arteries  are  the  vessels  which  carry  the  blood  away  from  the 
heart  to  the  different  parts  of  the  body.  They  always  carry  the 
pure  blood  of  the  body,  which  is  a  bright  red  color.  When  the 
left  ventrical  contracts  it  causes  a  wave,  as  it  were,  to  pass  all 
down  through  the  arteries.  This  is  an  important  point  in  con- 
nection with  the  pulse  of  a  horse.  The  walls  of  the  arteries  are 
made  up  of  elastic  tissue,  and  after  death  are  always  lying  open, 
and,  also,  you  never  find  and  blood  in  them  after  death,  the 
reason  is  because  they  contract  and  force  the  blood  all  out  before 
they  loose  the  power  of  contracting. 

How  to  Tell  When  an  Artery  is  Cut.— The  blood  comes  out 

in  spurts  every  time  the  heart  beats,  and  is  of  a  bright  red  color. 
Arteries  are  always  found  deep-seated  and  well  protected  with 
muscles  and  bone;  as,  for  instance,  the  large  arteries  of  the  legs 
always  pass  down  on  the  inside  of  the  leg  very  close  to  the 
bone,  and  on  account  of  this  we  very  rarely  have  large  arteries 
injured.  Towards  the  end  of  the  arteries  they  are  found  to  break 
up  into  very  small  ones  which  run  into  the  capillary  network 
of  the  body.  These  are  numerous  very  small  vessels  about  ^^ 
of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Their  walls  are  very  thin  and  cannot  be 
distinguished  except  under  a  microscope,  and  are  found  in  all 
parts  of  the  body.  As  the  blood  passes  slowly  through  these  small 
vessels,  the  nourishment  is  absorbed  from  the  blood  through  the 
very  thin  walls  to  supply  the  tissues  of  the  body.  When  the 
blood  passes  through  this  capillary  network  it  again  enters  into 
larger  vessels  called  the  veins,  which  carry  it  on  its  road  back  to 
the  heart.  In  starting  at  the  head  to  trace  the  blood  back  to  the 
Iieart,  we  find  it  carried  from  the  head  by  two  very  important 
vessels  called   the   jugular  veins  ;  these  are   important  on  account 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  25 

of  being  the  veins  which  are  used  to  bleed  the  animal  from. 
The  veins  which  run  up  the  inside  of  the  front  leg,  carrying  the 
blood  back  from  the  leg,  unite  with  the  jugular  veins,  forming 
what  is  known  as  anterior  vena  cava,  which  empties  into  the 
right  auricle  of  the  heart.  In  tracing  the  blood  back  from  the 
hind  leg,  a  large  vein  is  found  on  the  inside  of  the  leg,  passing  up 
under  the  hip,  where  it  unices  with  the  veins  of  the  hip  region, 
forming  what  is  known  as  the  posterior  vena  cava.  As  it  passes 
forward  it  takes  in  veins  from  the  various  organs  such  as  the 
stomach,  liver,  kidneys,  spleen,  and  small  bowels,  and  finally 
empties  into  the  right  auricle  of  the  heart.  This  is  the  complete 
circulation  of  the  blood. 

Blood  is  that  which  carries  nourishment  to  all  parts  of  the 
body,  and  also  carries  away  all  the  waste  material  of  the  body, 
where  it  is  thrown  off  in  the  form  of  urine,  which  is  secreted 
from  the  blood  by  the  kidneys.  We  find  the  waste  material  also 
thrown  off  in  sweat  or  perspiration  through  the  skin,  and  also  by 
the  lungs.  The  blood  varies  in  color  in  the  different  parts  of  the 
body — in  the  arteries  it  is  a  bright  red,  while  in  the  veins  it  is 
a  dark  red  color. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LYMPHATIC  SYSTEM. 

This  is  also  known  as  the  absorbent  system,  and  is  in 
connection  with  the  blood  vessels,  and  is  made  up  of 
very  fine  minute  tubes  and  glands,  which  convey  from 
the  tissues  of  the  body  a  clear  fluid  known  as  lymph,  and  pours 
it  into  the  blood  of  the  veins  as  it  is  on  its  way  back  to  the  heart. 
These  glands  are  found  all  through  the  body;  for  instance,  a  large 
group  of  these  are  found  inside  the  thigh  or  stifle  joint  of  the 
horse,  also  another  large  group  inside  the  shoulder.  These  are 
important  points  to  note  as  they  sometimes  become  inflamed  and 
the  leg  swollen  ;  then  they  are  the  seat  of  the  disease  called  weed 
in  the  leg,  or  lymphangitis. 


26  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

DIGESTIVE  ORGANS. 

THE  whole  digestive  track  from  the  mouth  to  the  anus, 
which  is  situated  just  below  the  tail,  is  sometimes  called 
the  alimentary  canal.  The  chief  parts  are  the  mouth, 
pharynx,  or  gullet,  oesophagus,  or  the  tube  which  leads  from  the 
gullet  to  the  stomach  and  the  intestines,  or  bowels. 
The  mouth  is  an  oval  cavity  at  the  commencement  of  the 
alimentary  or  digestive  canal.  In  front  of  the  mouth  are  the  lips, 
one  above  and  one  below  ;  at  the  sides  are  the  cheeks  ;  it  is  lined 
by  what  is  known  as  the  mucous  membrane,  which  has  several 
small  openings  in  it  from  the  glands,  which  are  situated  around  the 
mouth,  through  which  the  saliva  is  poured.  On  the  upper  part  of 
the  mouth  the  mucous  membrane  is  thrown  into  ridges,  or  folds, 
and  are  from  eighteen  to  twenty  in  number.  Tiiis  is  a  point  o^ 
importance  in  connection  with  bleeding  a  horse  with  lampers. 
Always  remember  it  is  not  safe  to  bleed  back  of  the  third  bar 
because  there  is  a  large  artery  which  runs  down  through  the  roof 
of  the  mouth  and  enters  up  through  a  hole  in  the  bone  just  before 
it  reaches  this  bar.  The  tongue,  which  has  the  chief  nerves  of  the 
sense  of  taste,  is  situated  in  the  mouth  ;  this  organ  also  has  a  very 
important  part  to  perform  in  masticating  the  food  and  mixing  it 
with  saliva.  The  teeth,  which  also  take  a  very  active  part  in  the 
masticating  of  food,  are  mentioned  later  on  in  the  book  under  the 
heading  of  "Teeth." 

Salivary  Glands. — These  are  the  glands  which  secrete  the 
saliva  that  is  poured  into  the  mouth  while  the  animal  is  eating. 
There  are  only  three  pairs  of  much  importance.  One  large  pair, 
one  on  each  side  of  the  throat  below  the  ears,  filling  up  the  space 
between  the  jaw  bone  and  the  neck  ;  this  pair  has  tubes  passing 
around  and  under  the  lower  jaw  and  up  into  the  cheek  muscles, 
entering  the  mouth  opposite  the  fourth  molar  tooth  ;  these  tubes 
are  about  as  large  as  straws  and  convey  the  saliva  from  the  gland 
into  the  mouth.  The  next  pair  are  situated  under  the  pair  first 
mentioned  ;  their  tubes  enter  into  the  bottom  part  of  the  mouth. 
The  third  pair  are  situated  under  the  tongue,  one  on  each  side  ; 
they  pour  their  secretion  into  the  mouth  by  several  small 
openings  near  the  front  under  the  tongue,  which  can  be  seen  by- 
examining  closely.  This  is  a  verv  important  fluid  in  connection 
with  the  diszestinsr  of  the  food. 


o      - 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IL 


INTERNAL  ORGANS  OF  THE 
HORSE. 

This  cut  shows  the  position  of  each  org"an  in  the  body 


I. 

Pharynx,  or  throat. 

9- 

2. 

CEsophagus,    or    the   tube   which 

lO. 

carries  the  food  to  the  stomach. 

II. 

3- 

Right  lung. 

12. 

4- 

Spleen. 

13. 

5- 

Stomach. 

14. 

6. 

LIVer. 

7- 

Kidney. 

8. 

Ureter.     This   is  the  tube  which 

15- 

carries  the  water  or  urine  from 

16. 

the    kidneys    to    the   bladder. 

There    is    one    tube    to    each 

17- 

kidney. 

18. 

Rectum,  or  back  bowel. 

Bladder. 

Urethra. 

Small  bowels. 

Large  bowels. 

Diaphragm,  or  curtain  which  sep- 
arates the  stomach  and  bowels 
from  the  lungs  and  heart. 

Heart. 

Common  Aorta,  which  is  the 
largest  artery  in  the  body. 

Trachea,  or  wind  pipe. 

Mouth. 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.— Every  place  where  Tablespoonful  is 
mentioned  in  this  book  should  read:  Small,  or  Desert 
Tablespoonful,   which  is  equal  to  two  Teaspoonfuls. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  31 

The  Gullet  is  a  cavity  situated  just  behind  the  mouth.  It  is 
chiefly  made  up  of  muscles  which  perform  the  act  of  swallowing" 
the  food.  It  is  lined  with  the  continuation  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane oi'  the  mouth. 

The  Oesophagus,  or  the  continuation  of  the  gullet,  which  is  a 
tube  extendins^  from  the  gullet  to  the  stomach,  is  used  to  carry  the 
food  to  that  organ.  It  is  made  up  of  two  coats,  the  muscular 
and  the  mucous.  The  former  contains  fibres  which,  when  once 
the  food  enters  the  tube,  contracts  behind  it,  forcing  it  along  to 
the  stomach.  Its  lining  is  a  continuation  of  the  mucous  membrane 
of  the  mouth  and  "gullet.  In  tracing  the  tube  down  the  neck  from 
the  gullet,  it  passes  down  the  left  side  of  the  neck,  entering  the 
thoracic,  or  chest  cavity,  between  the  lungs  over  the  heart  through 
the  large  muscular  curtain  known  as  the  diaphragm,  entering  the 
stomach  an  inch  or  two  after  passing  the  diaphragm. 

The  Stomach. — This  organ  is  very  small  in  the  horse  in  com- 
parison with  the  ox  ;  it  only  holds  about  four  gallons,  and  is 
situated  just  behind  the  curtain  which  separates  it  from  the  lungs  ; 
it  is  mostly  to  the  left  side.  The  walls  of  the  stomach  are  composed 
of  three  coats,  one  on  the  outside  called  the  serous  membrane — 
this  is  a  name  applied  to  membranes  which  line  closed  cavities, 
such  as  the  abdominal,  or  belly  cavity.  The  inside  lining  is  a 
continuation  of  the  m.ucous  membrane  lining  the  organs  before 
mentioned.  When  the  stomach  is  empty  this  membrane  is  thrown 
into  loose  folds,  and  there  are  also  found  several  small  openings 
through  which  the  gastric  juice  and  pepsine  from  the  glands, 
situated  in  the  walls  of  the  stomach,  enters.  These  are  very 
important  fluids  as  they  assist  greatly  in  digesting  the  food.  The 
third  coat  is  known  as  the  muscular  coat,  being  made  of 
muscular  fibres,  and  is  situated  between  the  two  coats  already 
mentioned.  Its  action  is  to  give  the  stomach  a  churning  motion, 
rolling  the  food  around  and  mixing  it  with  the  juices.  The 
stomach  is  guarded  by  a  valve  where  the  food  enters  which 
prevents  it  from  passing  back  through  the  gullet.  There  is 
also  a  valve  at  the  opening  of  the  bowels,  preventing  any  coarse, 
undigested  food  from  entering  them.  The  stomach  is  held 
in  its  place  by  five  large  ligaments,  and  is  well  supplied  by  blood 
vessels  and  nerves.  Digestion  of  food  takes  place  very  quickly  in 
the  horse  in  comparison  to  other  animals,  and  if,  through  a  change 
of  food  or  working  too  soon  after  eating,  the  digestion  is  interfered 
with   it   sets   up   what  is   known   as   indigestion,    which   is   a  very 


32  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

painful  disease  in  the  horse.  After  the  food  is  acted  upon  by  the 
juices  in  the  stomach  it  changes  into  what  is  known  as  chyme, 
which  pass  into  the  bowels. 

The  Bowels. — They  are  divided  into  two  parts — the  large  and 
small.     The  small  bowels  are  seventy-two  feet  in  length  and  about 
one  inch  in  diameter,  and  are  made  up  of  three  coats,  the  same  as 
the    stomach,      The    serous    coat   on    the    outside    contains    small 
glands  which  secrete  an  oily  material  that  lubricates  the  outside  of 
the  bowels,  which  comes  in   contact   with   the   inner   walls   of  the 
belly,  S3  as  to  prevent  friction  when    the   bowels  are  being  jolted 
around  in  the  belly.      The   muscular  coat,    made   up   of  muscular 
fibres,  is  situated  between  the  other  two  coats,    the  same  as  in  the 
stomach  ;  its  action  is  to  contract  the  bowels,  giving  it  motion   to 
carry     the    food    on     through    them.       The     mucous   coat    is     a 
continuation  of  the  mucous  coat  of  the  stomach.      Along  this   coat 
are  found  small   glands  known   as  villi  and  lacteal  ;  these   are    to 
absorb  the  nourishment  out  of  the  food  as  it  passes  along  through 
the  bowels  and  pours  it  into  the  blood.      This  long  bowel  is  found 
to    be    attached    on    the    upper    side    to    what    is    known    as    the 
mesentery,  which  is  attached  above  to  the  back-bone,  and  can   be 
seen  in  any  of  the  smaller  animals   upon  examination.      About   six 
inches  from  the  stomach,  in  the  bowels,  are  found  two  openings,  one 
for  the  hepatic  duct,   which  is  a  tube  used  to  carry  the   bile   from 
the  liver  to  be  poured  in  on  the   food   as   it   passes   through   the 
bowels.     The  other  hole  is  for  the  duct  of  the  gland  known  as  the 
pancreas.      It  secretes  a  clear  fluid  known  as  the  pancreatic  juice, 
these  act  on  the  food  in  the  first  part  of  the  small  bowels,  changing 
it  into  chyle.      After  this,  the  action  of  the  rest  of  the  bowels  is   to 
absoib  the  nourishment  out  of  the  food  as  it  is  passing  back.      The 
small  bowels  and  stomach,  when  in  a  healthy  condition,  should  be 
found    empty    one    hour    aftei    food   has   been   eaten.      The  small 
bowels  are  situated  mostly  on  the  left  side  just  behind  the  stomach. 
Large  bowels  have  three  coats    the    same  as  the  small  ones. 
The  first  part  of  the  large  bowels  is  known  as  the  blind  gut  ard  is 
about  three  feet  long  ;  this  is  generally  the  first  thing  to  fly  out  in 
opening  a  horse's  belly.      Its  use  is  to  act   as  a   reservoir   to   hold 
the  water  and  fluid  parts  of  the  food  ;  this  is  where  the  water  and 
fluid  parts  are  mostly  taken  up  into  the  system.     The  next  part  of 
the  large  bowels  is  known  as  the  large   colon  ;    it   lays   along    the 
floor  of  the  belly,  is  about  nine  feet  long,  and  is  doubled  on   itself 
three  times.      In  this  bowel   the  Jiolid   part   of  the   food   is   found. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  33 

where  it  is  worked  about  by  the  contractuij^  ot  the  bowel  and  the 
nourishment:  taken  out.  After  the  food  is  worked  back  out  of  this 
bowel,  and  the  nourishment  taken  out  of  it,  it  enters  into  what  is 
known  as  the  floating-  colon,  which  is  ten  feet  long  and  about  two 
inches  in  diameter,  or  double  the  size  of  the  small  bowels.  It  is 
thrown  into  folds  or  pleats,  and,  as  that  part  of  the  food  that 
has  no  nourishment  in  it  passes  through,  it  is  worked  into  balls 
which  pass  back  and  are  emptied  into  the  rectum  or  back  gut.  This 
part  of  the  bowels,  same  as  the  small  intestines,  is  suspended  by  a 
sheet  or  fold  from  the  back  bones,  and  is  situated  at  the  back  part 
of  the  belly,  on  the  left  side,  behind  the  small  bowels. 

Rectum  or  Back  Gut. — It  is  sometimes  known  as  the  straight 
bowel,  which  is  the  last  part  of  the  intestines,  and  is  about 
eighteen  inches  long.  The  coats  of  this  bowel  are  a  continuation 
of  the  larg^e  bowels,  but  each  coat  is  thicker  and  heavier.  Above 
this  bowel,  are  the  bones  of  the  rump  ;  below  it,  in  the 
horse,  we  find  the  bladder  and  other  small  glands.  In  the 
mare  we  find  what  is  known  as  the  womb  and  the  vagina,  which 
is  the  passage  into  the  womb  from  the  outside,  and  at  the  sides 
we  find  the  bones  which  help  to  form  the  hip  cavity.  At  the  back  part 
is  found  what  is  known  as  the  anus,  which  is  situated  immediately 
under  the  tail.  The  use  of  the  rectum  is  to  hold  the  balls  as  they 
pass  back  from  the  floating  colon  and  empty  in  iiere.  When  the 
rectum  gets  full  and  presses  on  the  sides  of  the  wall,  it  stimulates 
the  nerves,  which  cause  the  muscular  coat  of  the  rectum  to 
contract,  while  the  muscle  of  the  anus  dialates  or  opens  out, 
causing-  the  faeces  or  manure  to  pass  out. 

The  Glands,  which  assist  in  digestion,  are  the  liver,  pancreas 
and  the  spleen. 

The  Liver  is  the  largest  gland  in  the  body;  it  weighs  from 
ten  to  twelve  pounds  in  the  horse,  and  is  situated  between  the 
stomach  and  diaphragm  or  curtain  which  separates  the  cavities, 
and  is  held  to  its  place  by  several  strong  ligaments  ;  it  is  of  a 
dark  brown  color,  and  its  use  is  to  secrete  the  fluid  called  bile, 
which  is  a  greenish  color  and  very  bitter  to  the  ta^te.  There  is  no 
gall  bladder  in  the  horse,  simply  a  tube  which  passes  down  from 
the  liver  to  the  small  bowel  emptying  six  inches  behind  the  stomach- 
It  is  along  this  tube  where  gall  stones  are  sometimes  situated. 
The  liver  is  largely  supplied  with  blood  vessels  and  nerves. 

The  Pancreas  is  another  very  important  gland  situated  behind 
the  liver  and  in  front  of  the   kidneys,   lying  along    near    the    back- 


34  THE  VETERINAKY  SCIENCE. 

bone.  This  gland  is  of  a  grayish,  fatty  color  and  can  be  found  by 
examining  closely  in  front  of  the  kidneys,  its  use  is  to  secrete  a 
clear,  colorless  fluid  known  as  the  Pancreatic  juice.  This  is  an 
important  fluid  in  connection  with  digestin.g  the  food  and  enters 
the  bowel  just  behind  where  the  tube  from  the  liver  enters. 

The  Spleen  is  situated  along  the  left  side  of  the  stomach, 
is  long  and  flat,  being  about  fifteen  inches  in  length,  lying  along 
and  closely  attached  to  the  stomach.  This  gland  is  of  a  grayish- 
red  color  and  is  soft  to  handle;  it  is  a  ductless  gland,  that  is, 
it  has  no  secretion  passing  from  it.  The  uses  of  this  organ  are  not 
clearly  understood,  but  is  supposed  to  regulate  the  temperature  of 
the  stomach  during  digestion,  and  also  acts  as  a  reservoir  for  the 
blood,  and  is  sometimes  called  the  burying  ground  of  the  red 
corpuscles  of  the  blood,  it  is  largely  supplied  with  blood  vessels 
and   nerves  and  weighs  from  two  to  four  pounds  in  the  horse. 

MEMBRANES  OF  THE  BODY. 

In  speaking  of  the  membranes  of  the  body  it  is  found  they 
are  of  two  kinds,  serous  membranes  and  mucous  membranesj 

Mucous  Membranes  are  found  lining  all  open  cavities  of  the 
body,  as  for  example,  the  lining  all  through  the  digestive  organs  ; 
also  lining  the  respiratory  or  breathing  organs;  again  it  is  found 
lining  the  organs  in  connection  with  the  urine,  also  the  genital 
organs  or  the  organs  which  reproduce  the  young  animals. 

Serous  Membranes  are  membranes  wliich  line  closed  cavities, 
that  is,  air  tight  cavities  and  do  not  communicate  at  all  with  the 
air,  such  as  are  found  between  the  bowels  and  the  wall  of  abdomen 
or  belly,  it  is  called  the  peritoneum  ;  there  is  also  another  one 
found  lining  the  chest  cavity  and  the  lungs,  this  membrane  is 
called  pleura.  There  is  also  another  one  found  in  the  brain,  but 
is  not  of  much  importance.  This  membrane  is  always  made  up  of 
two  coats  the  inner  one  being  attached  to  the  organs  contained  in 
the  cavity,  the  other  coat  is  found  closely  lining  the  inside  of  the 
cavity  in  which  it  is  found.  The  inner  side  of  these  membranes 
always  secretes  an  oilv  fluid  which  lubricates  the  two  surfaces  of 
this  membrane,  and  if  it  was  not  for  this  oiiy  fluid,  the  walls 
would  become  sore  from  the  friction  caused  by  the  moving  of  one 
coat  on  the;  other.  These  membranes  are  an  important  point  to 
note  as  sometimes  they  become  chilled  and  get  inflamed  and  set 
up  inflammation.  Inflammation  of  the  pleura  membrane  mentioned 
is  called  pleurisy,  and  the  membrane  in  connection  with  the  bowels 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  35 

called  the  peritoneum  which   wnen  inflamed  is  called    peritonitis, 
a  very  dangerous  disease,  more  so  than  pleurisy. 

PROCESS  OF  DIGESTION. 

In  tracing-  the  food  from  the  mouth  to  where  it  nourishes  the 
muscles  in  different  parts  of  the  body,  we  first  find  the  food  taken 
into  the  mouth  by  the  use  of  the  lips  and  front  teeth  w^here  it  is 
masticated  or  chewed  by  means  of  the  tongue  and  teeth,  and  while 
it  is  being  rolled  around  and  chewed  the  salivary  glands  keep 
pouring  in  the  saliva,  mixing  the  food  and  preparing  it  for 
digestion.  After  it  is  thoroughly  chewed  it  is  rolled  into  a  ball  at 
the  back  part  of  the  tongue,  where  by  the  action  of  the  muscles  of 
the  gullet  it  is  grasped  and  forced  down  into  the  tube  which,  by 
the  action  of  its  muscular  fibres,  is  forced  down  into  the  stomach 
where  it  is  rolled  about  and  becomes  thoroughly  mixed  with  the 
gastric  and  pepsine  juices  which  act  chemically  on  the  food  and 
changes  it  into  what  is  known  as  chyme.  From  the  stomach  it 
passes  up  into  the  front  part  of  the  small  bowels  where  there  is  the 
secretion  from  the  liver  and  pancreas  which  also  act  chemically  and 
changes  the  chyme  into  what  is  called  chyle.  After  this  the  rest 
of  the  bowels, by  the  action  of  these  little  villi  and  lacteals,  which 
are  in  the  coats  of  the  bowels,  absorbs  the  chyle  or  nourishment 
from  the  food,  these  vessels  empty  the  chyle  or  nourishment  into 
the  veins  of  the  body  which  is  then  carried  to  the  heart,  where  it 
is  forced  out  from  the  heart  through  the  arteries  down  into  the 
capillaries  which  are  all  through  the  body,  the  nourishment  is 
given  through  the  walls  of  thes3  small  thin  vessels  and  gives  life 
and  strength  to  the  body. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

ORGANS  OF  RESPIRATION. 

THESE  are  commonally  known  as  the  organs  of  breathing, 
they  comprise  the  nostrils,  chambers  in  the  head  or  nasal 
chambers,    larynx    or    sometimes    called    Adam's    apple, 
trachea  or  windpipe,  bronchial  tubes  and  the  lungs. 

The  Nostrils  are  two  openings,  one  on  each  side  of  the  nose; 
these  are  held  open  by  the  aid  of  cartilage  or  gristle,  and  muscles. 
-About  one  and  one-half  inches  up  the  nostril  on  the  under  side  is  a 
small  opening  about  the  size  of  a  grain  of  shot,  this  is  where  the  tube 
•or  duct  which  carries  the  tears  down  from  the  eyes  empty  into  the 
nose.      The  nostril  is  lined  with  a  thin  delicate   skin    which   after- 


36  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

wards  changes  into  the  mucous  membrane  as  it  passes  up  into  the 
chambers  of  the  head. 

Nasal  Chambers  or  Chambers  of  the  Head.— These  give  pas- 
sage to  the  air  from  the  nostril  into  the  larynx  or  Adam's  apple. 
There  are  two  of  these  chambers  divided  in  the  center  by  a  thin 
partition  of  cartilage  called  the  septum  nasi,  these  communicate 
with  the  sinuses  of  the  head.  The  horse  cannot  breathe  through 
the  mouth  on  account  of  the  formation  of  the  throat,  and  this 
compels  him  to  always  breathe  through  the  nostrils.  This  is  a 
point  which  should  be  remembered. 

Larynx  or  Adam's  Apple.— It  is  a  box  made  of  cartilage, 
or  gristle,  gives  passage  to  the  air  and  is  also  the  organ  of 
voice  ;  it  is  situated  in  the  floor  of  the  gullet.  This  box 
has  an  opening  on  its  upper  side,  which  is  guarded  by  a  valve, 
this  valve  is  always  open  except  when  the  animal  is  swallowing 
food  or  water.  When  the  food  is  being  swallowed  it  passes  over 
the  valve  which  closes  the  opening  while  the  food  passes  over  it. 
This  is  important,  for  if  the  valve  does  not  close  properly  and 
either  food  or  water  drop  into  the  windpipe  it  causes  the  animal 
to  have  a  fit  of  coughing,  and  is  spoken  of  as  the  animal  to  have 
the  food  going  the  wrong  way.  On  the  outside  of  this  box  of 
cartilage  is  found  several  small  muscles  attached  which  help  to 
hold  it  in  its  place,  it  is  lined  inside  by  a  continuation  of  the  same 
membrane,  as  in  the  chambers  of  the  head.  Along  the  inside  of 
this  box  is  found  what  is  called  the  vocal  chords  which  come  into 
play  when  the  animal  is  whinnying.  These  chords  are  not  nearly 
so  well  marked  as  in  the  human  being,  and  if  they  or  the 
cartilage  of  the  larynx  become  affected  by  disease  it  generally 
gives  rise  to  the  disease  called  roaring. 

Trachea  or  Windpipe. — This  is  a  tube  which  carries  the  air 
down  from  the  larynx  to  the  bronchial  tubes  in  the  lungs.  This  tube 
is  made  up  of  forty  or  fifty  rings  of  cartilage  which  are  united  to 
each  other  by  strong  elastic  ligaments  which  gives  the  windpipe 
its  flexibilitv,  that  is,  it  can  be  bent  in  any  direction  almost  like  a 
piece  of  elastic.  In  tracing  the  windpipe  from  Adam's  apple  it  is 
found  to  enter  the  chest  where  it  terminates  into  two  small  tubes, 
one  going  to  the  right  lung  and  one  to  the  left  lung  ;  these  are 
called  the  bronchial  tubes. 

Bronchial  Tubes  and  Air  Cells. — These  are  made  up  of  the 
same  material  as  that  of  the  windpipe,  but  are  only  about  half  the 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  87 

size.  These  tubes  after  they  pass  into  the  substance  of  the  lung's 
they  break  up  into  other  small  tubes  which  pass  all  through  the 
lungs  and  terminate  into  what  is  known  as  the  air  cells.  These 
small  tubes  and  air  cells  are  lined  inside  by  a  very  thin  mucous 
membrane  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  membrane  lining  the 
other  organs  already  mentioned.  Just  inside  this  thin  mucous 
membrane  is  found  the  capillary  network  of  the  lungs,  and  while 
the  blood  is  slowly  passing  through  this  network  of  vessels  it 
gives  off  to  the  air  in  the  air  cells  carbonic  acid  gas  and  takes  in 
the  oxygen  from  the  pure  air  while  it  is  in  the  lungs. 

The  Lungs  are  the  most  important  organs  in  connection  with 
breatl^ing,  they  are  spongy,  yellowish  organs,  two  in  number, 
one  situated  on  the  right  side  and  the  other  on  the  left;  the  right 
lung  is  the  largest  on  account  of  the  left  one  having  a  hollow  in 
its  side  for  the  heart.  The  lungs  are  separated  by  a  partition 
known  as  the  mediastinum,  also  by  the  heart  which  is  in  the  folds 
of  this  partition  and  also  by  the  large  blood  vessels  and  oesophagus 
or  tube  which  passes  on  its  way  to  the  stomach.  The  lungs  are 
made  up  of  light  elastic  tissue  and  are  full  of  air  cells  and  tubes, 
they  are  very  large  while  the  animal  is  alive  and  fills  up  nearly  the 
whole  chest  cavity,  but  after  death  they  collapse  and  are  not  nearly 
so  large.  Between  the  lungs  and  the  ribs  is  found  a  serous 
membrane  called  the  pleura  or  the  lining  membrane  of  the  chest. 
It  is  made  up  of  two  folds,  one  being  attached  around  the  outer 
part  of  the  lungs  while  the  other  is  attached  to  the  ribs  at  the  side 
and  at  the  back  to  the  large  curtain  which  separates  the  lungs 
from  the  bowels.  The  little  glands  situated  in  this  m.embrane 
secretes  an  oily  fluid  which  serves  to  lubricate  these  parts  while 
the  lungs  are  working  in  the  chest  so  as  not  to  cause  friction. 
When  this  membrane  becomes  inflamed  from  a  chill  or  injury  it 
sets  up  the  disease  called  pleurisy. 

The  trachea,  or  windpipe,  bronchial  tubes  and  air  cells  are 
sometimes  compared  to  a  tree,  the  windpipe  being  the  trunk  while 
the  bronchial  tubes  and  air  cells  represent  the  branches  and 
leaves  of  the  tree.  The  lungs  are  largely  supplied  by  blood  vessels 
and  nerves. 

Breathingf  in  the  horse  consists  of  first  drawing  the  pure  air 
in  and  then  forcing  the  impure  air  out.  These  two  acts  are 
performed  by  the  muscles  of  the  chest,  part  of  them  in  contracting 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  dilate    or   enlarge  the  chest  cavity   and   on 


38  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

account  of  the  space  between  the  lung's  and  chest  being'  air  tight 
the  lungs  themselves  enlarg"e  and  the  air  rushes  in  to  fill  up  space. 
The  act  of  forcing-  the  air  out  is  performed  by  these  muscles 
which  relax  while  others  contract  in  such  a  manner  as  to  close  the 
chest  cavity  and  makes  it  smaller,  thus  the  lung's  also  become 
smaller  and  forces  the  air  out.  The  act  of  breathing  is  performed 
in  a  horse  in  perfect  health  sixteen  times  a  minute. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

URINARY  SYSTEM. 

THIS  system  consists  ol  the  kidneys,  ureters,  bladder  and 
urethra.  The  action  of  these  organs  is  to  deal  with  the 
urine  or  what  is  commonly  called  the  water  of  the  animal, 
which  is  <^  watery  fluid  secreted  by  the  kidneys.  It  varies  in 
color,  according  to  the  condition  of  the  animal's  blood. 

The  Kidneys  are  two  in  number — one  on  the  right  side  and 
one  on  the  left  side,  and  are  situated  just  below  the  small  of  the 
back — the  right  one  being  the  furthest  ahead.  In  shape,  they 
are  long  and  narrow,  and  resemble  the  liver  in  color.  In  cutting 
one  of  these  kidneys  open,  it  is  found  to  be  full  of  glands  and 
tubes,  which  secrete  the  urine  from  the  blood  while  it  is  passing 
through  the  kidneys.  These  tubes  pass  to  the  centre  of  the 
kidneys,  where  they  empty  the  urine  into  what  is  called  the  pelvis 
of  the  kidneys.  The  glands  are  largely  supplied  with  blood  vessels 
and  nerves.  In  examining  the  kidneys,  one  will  generally  find  a 
large  quantity  of  fat,  which  help  to  hold  them  to  their  place. 
The  use  of  the  kidneys  are  to  secrete  the  urine  from  the  blood, 
which  contains  a  large  amount  of  what  is  known  as  ureaic  acid,, 
and  if  not  taken  out  of  the  blood  by  these  glands,  acts  as  poison 
to  the  system. 

The  Ureters  are  the  tubes  which  carry  the  urine  down  from 
the  pelvis  of  the  kidney  to  the  bladder.  They  are  two  in  number — 
one  situated  on  the  right  side  of  the  pelvic  or  hip  cavity  and  the 
other  on  the  left  side  close  to  the  walls — and  they  enter  one  on  each 
side  at  the  upper  part  of  the  bladder.  They  are  only  about  the 
size  of  an  ordinary  straw. 

The  Bladder  is  situated  in  the  pelvic  or  hip  cavity.  When 
it  is  full  it  sometimes  stretches  out  into  the  abdominal  or 
belly    cavity.       It    consists     of    a    body     and     neck.       The   bod" 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  39 

is  the  larg-e  part,  and  is  placed  in  front;  the  neck  being-  at 
the  back  part  of  the  bladder.  This  is  v\  here  the  urine  or  water 
passes  out  of  the  bladder.  The  bladder  is  made  up  of  three  coats, 
somewhat  similar  to  that  of  the  bowels.  The  serous  coat  is  just 
a  continuation  of  the  serous  coat  found  in  the  belly  cavity  lining- 
the  bowels.  The  inside  of  the  bladder  is  lined  with  mucous 
membrane  similar  to  that  of  the  bowels,  and  when  the  bladder  is 
empty  this  is  all  thrown  into  folds.  Another  coat  is  found, 
between  the  two  membranes  above  mentioned,  called  the  m.uscular 
coat,  and  is  made  up  of  muscular  fibres.  Its  action  is  when  the 
bladder  is  full  and  presses  on  the  nerves  of  the  coat,  these  nerves 
causing-  the  fibres  in  the  coat  to  contract,  thus  contracting-  the 
bladder,  forcing  the  urine  out.  The  bladder  is  held  to  its  place  by 
lig-aments  attached  to  the  wall  of  the  pelvic  cavity,  and  above  the 
bladder  is  found  the  rectum.  The  bladder  in  the  horse  rests  on 
the  floor  of  the  pelvic  cavity.  The  position  of  the  bladder  in  the 
mare  differs  from  that  of  the  horse.  Instead  of  the  rectum  or 
back  bowel  being-  immediately  above  it,  as  it  is  in  the  horse,  the 
womb  is  found  just  above  the  bladder  or  between  it  and 
the  rectum.  The  use  of  the  bladder  is  to  act  as  a  reservoir  to 
store  up  the  water  until  the  bladder  is  full ;  when  it  is  full  it 
presses  on  the  walls  and  nerves,  giving  a  peculiar  sensation  to 
these  parts,  and  causing  the  walls  of  the  bladder  to  contract, 
forcing  the  water  into  a  tube  which  carries  it  from  the  body;  this 
tube  is  called  the  urethra.  The  neck  of  the  bladder  is  simply  an 
opening  at  the  back  part  of  the  bladder,  and  is  guarded  by  a 
valve  which  prevents  the  urine  from  dribbling  out  except  when 
the  animal  is  passing  its  water. 

The  Urethra  is  the  tube  which  carries  the  water  from  the 
bladder  out  of  the  body,  and  is  sicuated  much  differently  in  the 
mare  from  that  of  the  horse.  In  the  mare  it  is  very  short, 
passing  from  the  neck  of  the  bladder  along  below  the  womb  and 
vagina,  which  is  the  passage  from  the  outside  into  the  neck  of 
the  womb,  it  opens  up  into  the  underside  of  this  passage  about 
tour  inches  in  from  the  outside.  This  opening  is  guarded 
by  a  small  thin  valve,  and  can  be  felt  by  passing  the 
finger  along  the  under  side  of  the  passage  which  leads  into 
the  womb.  In  the  horse  this  tube  is  a  great  deal  longer 
than  in  the  mare,  it  conimences  at  the  bladder,  passes 
along  below  the  rectum  or  back  bowel  to  just  below  the  anus,  here 


40  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

this  tube  bends  downwards  and  forwards  passing  into  the  penis 
of  the  horse  and  passes  down  to  the  end  of  the  penis,  where 
it  terminates.  This  tube  is  used  to  carry  the  urine  from  the 
bladder  out  of  the  body  and  is  also  used  in  connection  with  the 
g'enital  organs,  these  are  the  organs  which  bring  forth  the 
young  animals.  This  tube  is  liued  with  a  continuation  of  the 
membrane  of  the  bladder. 

CHAPTER  X. 

GENITAL  ORGANS. 

THESE  organs  in  the  horse  are  those  which  reproduce 
the  young  animals.  To  bring  forth  the  young  there 
must  be  two  animals,  one  the  horse  or  male  animal,  the 
other  the  mare  or  female  animal,  or  in  other  words,  there  must  be 
one  of  each  sex,  male  and  female.  These  organs  are  different  in  each 
sex  or  in  the  horse  and  mare  and  require  to  be  considered  separately. 

Genital  Orgfans  in  the  Horse  are  as  follows:  Scrotum  or  bag, 
testicles,  spermatic  cord,  vesiculre  seminales  or  the  pouches 
which  holds  the  semen  of  the  horse,  urethra,  penis  and  the  sheath. 

The  Scrotum  is  the  sac  or  bag  which  contains  the  testicles  and  is 
situated  between  the  hind  legs,  and  is  covered  on  the  outside  by  a 
verv  fine  soft  skin.  Passing  up  in  the  center  under  the  sheath 
and  scrotum  or  bag  is  a  well  marked  line  in  the  skin  called  median 
raphe,  this  can  be  plainly  seen  when  the  horse  is  on  his  back,  and  is 
found  to  be  continued  up  gradually  getting  fainter  until  it  reaches 
under  the  anus.  Under  the  skin  is  found  layers  of  white  fascia  or 
tissue,  which  can  be  seen  on  cutting  through  the  scrotum.  There 
is  found  to  be  a  partition  in  the  scrotum  separating  the  two 
testicles.  The  size  of  the  scrotum  is  affected  very  much  by  the 
weather,  the  cold  weather  contracts  the  tibres  in  the  scrotum 
causing  it  to  get  very  much  smaller,  while  in  warm  weather  the 
fibres  relax  causing  the  scrotum  to  get  very  much  larger.  The 
use  of  the  scrotum  is  to  contain,  support  and  protect  the  testicles. 

The  Testicles  are  two  in  number,  one  situated  on  the  left  side 
the  other  on  the  right,  they  are  oval  in  shape,  and  are  attached 
above  to  tht  spermatic  cord.  Before  the  animal  is  born  the 
testicles  are  situated  in  the  abdominal  or  belly  cavity  and 
attached  to  the  serous  membrane  which  has  already  been  spoken 
of  in  connection  with  this  cavity.  At  or  about  the  time  of  birth, 
there    is  what  is  known  as  the  descent  of   the  testicles  into  the 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  41 

scrotum;  in  their  downward  course,  they  pass  throug"h  a  slit  or  small 
opening  at  the  back  part  of  the  muscles  of  the  belly,  where  they 
are  attached  to  the  under  part  of  the  hip  bones.  These  slits  or 
openings  are  known  as  the  inguinal  rings,  these  rings  can  be  felt 
in  the  horse  by  pressing  the  fingers  well  up  into  the  groins. 
The  descent  of  the  testicle  is  an  important  point  to  be  remembered 
for,  if  it  does  not  come  down  into  the  scrotum  he  is  then 
called  what  is  known  as  a  rig  or  ridgeling  horse,  in  this 
case  the  testicle  is  not  found  in  the  scrotum.  At  the  front  part  of 
the  testicle  is  found  a  small  ridge  called  the  globus  major,  and  at 
the  back  of  it  is  found  another  small  ridge  called  the  globus  minor. 
Passing  between  these  two  ridges  there  is  another  well  marked  ridge 
called  the  epididymis,  these  points  can  be  easily  seen  upon  exam- 
ining the  testicle  after  the  animal  is  altered  or  castrated.  The 
substance  of  the  testicle  is  made  up  of  small  glands  and  fine  tubes, 
these  tubes,  as  they  pass  towards  the  back  of  the  testicle,  form 
into  larger  tubes  and  finally  unite  to  form  one  tube,  which  is  used 
to  carry  the  semen  up  the  back  part  of  the  spermatic  cord,  which 
these  glands  in  the  testicle  secrete. 

Spermatic  Cords,  or  the  cords  of  the  testicles,  are  attached 
above  to  the  inguinal  rings  or  openings  mentioned  before,  they 
are  about  five  or  six  inches  long  and  have  the  testicles  attached  to 
them  below.  In  each  cord  is  found  a  small  m.uscle  which  goes  by 
the  name  of  the  spermatic  muscle,  the  rest  of  the  cord  is  made  up 
of  the  spermatic  artery,  veins  and  nerves.  Running  up  at  the 
back  of  these  cords  is  found  a  tube  about  the  size  of  a  straw, 
which  upon  examination  is  found  to  be  hard  and  has  a  small 
opening  passing  up  through  the  centre  where  the  semen  passes  up 
through  it.  This  tube  is  called  the  vas  deferens.  Around  the 
spermatic  cords  and  testicles  is  a  serous  membrane,  one  laver 
being  attached  to  the  testicle  and  cord,  while  the  other  is  closelv 
attached  around  the  inside  of  the  scrotum  or  bag.  In  this  mem- 
brane are  small  glands  which  secrete  an  oily  lluid  to  lubricate 
the  parts,  so  as  not  to  cause  friction  when  they  are  jolted  around 
in  the  scrotum,  this  fluid  will  be  noticed  to  fly  out  as  soon  as  the 
scrotum  is  cut.  This  is  an  important  point  to  remember,  because 
sometimes  from  a  slight  injury  the  glands  will  secrete  a  large 
amount  of  this  fluid  mentioned,  which  causes  the  scrotum  to  look 
large  and  swollen,  this  disease  is  k:io\vn  as  hydrocele  or  water  in 
scrotum  or  bag. 


42  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

VaS  Deferens.- -These,  are  the  tubes  which  carry  the  semen 
up  the  back  part  of  the  cord  through  the  ing-uinal  rings  before 
mentioned.  They  then  pass  backwards  and  upwards,  one  on 
each  side,  to  the  upper  part  of  the  bladder,  where  they  empty  into 
two  small  pouches  or  sacs,  called  the  vesiculas  seminales,  which 
store  up  the  semen  as  it  is  secreted  by  the  testicles,  and  when 
full  present  the  appearance  of  a  pear. 

VesiCUlae  Seminales. — These  sacs  or  pouches  are  situated  at 
the  upper  side,  over  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  one  on  each  side, 
and  have  the  tube  which  carries  the  semen  emptying  into  it  at 
the  front  end,  while  at  the  back  end  of  them  is  a  small  opening  in 
each  one  that  leads  out  into  another  small  tube  which  passes 
backward  and  empties  into  the  urethra,  which  has  been  mentioned 
before  as  carrying  the  water  out  from  the  bladder.  The  use  of 
these  sacs  or  pouches  is  to  store  up  the  semen  or  seed  of  the 
horse.  While  the  horse  is  performing  sexual  intercourse,  these 
sacs  or  pouches  contract,  forcing  the  semen  through  these  little 
tubes  mentioned  out  into  the  urethra,  which  is  a  tube  leading 
down  to  the  penis. 

The  Penis  is  the  main  organ  connected  in  sexual  intercourse; 
its  substance  is  formed  of  what  is  known  as  erectile  tissue,  which, 
under  certain  circumstances,  becomes  enormously  distended  with 
blood.  Passing  up  the  under  side,  there  is  what  has  already  been 
mentioned,  the  urethra,  or  the  tube,  which  carries  the  water  or  urine 
out  of  the  body;  and  also  in  the  act  of  intercourse,  it  carries  the 
semen,  thus  it  is  noticed  this  tube  is  used  for  two  purposes,  as 
we  have  already  mentioned. 

The  Sheath  is  a  loose  process  of  skin  which  passes  down- 
wards from  the  scrotum  or  bag,  generally  from  about  four  to  six 
inches,  according  to  the  size  of  the  animal,  and  is  attached  to 
each  side,  leaving  a  hole  or  opening  in  the  centre  through  which 
the  penis  comes  down.  The  outside  of  the  sheath  is  covered  by 
a  thin,  delicate  skin,  same  as  that  of  the  scrotum  ;  inside  it  is 
lined  by  a  membrane  having  a  lot  of  small  glands,  which  secrete 
a  thick  dark  fluid  to  lubricate  this  passage.  Sometimes  this  fluid 
collects  in  here  and  has  the  appearance  of  tar.  This  is  an 
important  point  to  remember,  for  when  it  collects  to  a  larg-e 
extent  the  sheath  has  to  be  washed  out. 

The  Semen  or  seed  of  the  horse,  when  examined  under  a 
microscope,  is  found  to  contain  small  objects  called  spermatozoa, 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  43 

which  ir.ove  around,  and  when  in  the  womb  it  there  meets  the 
ovum  of  the  female,  which  is  secreted  by  a  gland  called  the  ovary. 
When  these  two  small  objects  unite,  they  form  the  foetus,  or 
what  might  be  called  the  animal  in  its  first  stage. 

The  Female  Genital  Organs,  or  organs  of  the  mare. — These 
are  very  different  from  those  in  the  horse,  and  are  named  as 
follows:  Ovaries,  fallopian  tubes,  or  the  tubes  which  carry  the 
ovum  from  the  ovaries  to  the  uterus  or  womb,  uterus  or  womb, 
vagina,  and  the  vulva. 

The  Ovaries  in  the  mare  represent  the  testicles  in  the  horse. 
They  are  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg,  and  resemble  it  much 
in  shape.  They  are  held  to  their  place  by  ligaments,  and  at  the 
back  part  have  a  tube  leading  from  them  called  the  fallopian 
tubes.  The  use  of  the  ovaries  are  to  secrete  the  ovum  or  egg. 
This  is  a  very  minute  body,  which  has  to  be  examined  under  ^he 
microscope,    being   only  j^  of  an  inch  in  diameter. 

The  Fallopian  Tubes  are  two  canals,  one  on  each  side,  which 
pasg  backwards  and  upwards,  and  enter  into  the  front  part  of  the 
uteru>  or  womb.  The  use  of  these  small  tubes  are  simply  to  carry 
the  ovum  or  egg  up  from  the  ovaries  and  empty  it  into  the  womb 
or  uterus. 

The  Uterus  or  Womb  is  a  muscular  sac  situated  in  the  hip 
cavity,  bounded  above  by  the  rectum,  below  by  the  bladder,  and 
on  the  sides  by  the  walls  of  the  hip  cavity.  It  is  divided  into 
what  is  known  as  a  body  and  a  neck.  The  body  of  the  womb  is 
very  small,  only  about  four  to  six  inches  long  and  a  couple  of 
inches  in  diameter  when  the  animal  is  not  pregnant,  and  near  the 
front  end,  at  the  upper  side,  there  are  openings  where  the  ovum 
enters  in.  When  the  animal  becomes  pregnant,  the  body  of  "he 
womb  becomes  enlarged  and  passes  forward  and  to  tlie  left  side 
of  the  belly  or  abdominal  cavity,  getting  larger  as  the  time  of 
pregnancy  passes  on,  until  the  foetus,  or  young,  has  attained  its 
full  size.  After  the  mare  has  had  her  young  the  womb  begins  to 
get  smaller  until  it  attains  its  natural  size  again.  The  womb  is 
very  largely  supplied  with  blood  vessels  and  nerves,  especially  so 
when  the  animal  is  pregnant,  as  it  takes  a  large  amount  of  blood 
to  nourish  the  foetus,  or  young  animal,  before  birth.  The  womb  is 
made  up  of  three  coats;  the  inner  one  is  called  mucous  membrane, 
and  is  found  to  be  in  the  mare,  wh'le  pregnant,  covered  over  with 
numerous  small   processes  about  the  size  of  peas,    to   which    the 


44  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE, 

placenta  or  cleanings' of  the  foal   is  attached.      The   muscular  coat 
is  next  to  that,of  the  mucous  coat,  and  lies  between  the  outer  and 
inner  coats  of  the  womb.      It    is    made  up  of  muscular  fibres,  and 
is  strong  and   thick  in  the  womb,  much  thicker   than    it    is   in    the 
bowels  or  otherr  organs  already  mentioned,      The  use  of  this  coat 
is   to   support   and    protect   the   fcetus    or   young  while  it  is  being 
carried   in   the  womb,  and    at    the    time    of  parturition,  or  what  is 
commonly  known  as  foaling,  this  coat  then  comes  into   use,    as  it 
contracts  the  womb   very   forcibly  on   the  foal,  while  the    neck  of 
womb  lies  open,  helping  to  force  the   foal  out  of  the  womb.      This 
is  important  to  note  as  the   contraction  of  this   coat   is   known   as 
labour  pains.      Lying  outside,  and  covering  around   the   womb,  is 
found  a  serous  coat,  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  serous  coat  of 
the  bowels.      The  womb   is    held    to   its  place  by  strong  ligaments 
attached   to   the   sides  of   it,    and    from    there   to   the    hip   bones, 
these  are  called  broad  ligaments.      At  the  back  part  of  the  womb 
is    found    the    neck.       It    consists  of   an    opening,    formed    by    a 
projection,  which    is    about   the  size   of  an   egg   and   has   a  hard, 
gritty  feeling  when    the    animal    is    not    in    season    and  the  neck  is 
closed.      The  neck  of  the  womb    is    under   control  of  the   muscle 
around  it,  and  this    muscle   is   under   control  of  the  nerves  of  the 
womb.      When    the    mare   comes  in  season,  this  muscle  is  relaxed 
to  a  certain  extent,  thus  allowing  the  neck  to  open    large   enough 
for  the  passage  of  a   couple  of  fingers    into  it ;  but  upon  working 
around  it  with    the    fingers   it   can   be   forced    large    enough    for   a 
man's  hand  to  pass  into  it  at  this  period.      If  the  mare  is  put  to  the 
horse  at  this  time,  and  becomes  pregnant  or  with  foal,  the  muscle 
in  the  neck  ot  the  womb  contracts,  firmly  closing  it,  which  remains 
closed  until  the  time  of  foaling.      When,    at   the   time   of  foaling, 
the    labour     pains    com.e    on,    the    muscle     in     the     neck    dilates, 
allowing  the  neck  of  the  womb  to  open   large    enough  for  the  foal 
to  pass  out      The  neck  of  the  womb   can   be   felt   easily  by  oiling 
the  hand  and  passing   it   into    the    passage  to  the  womb,  and  it 
will  be  noticed  that  the  neck  spoken   of   projects  into  the  passage. 
Vagina  and  Vulva. — These  two  organs  together  make  up   th.c 
passage  wiiich   leads   into  the   womb   from   the   outside       In    tlie 
young  mare  they  are  separated  by  a  thin  curtain,  or  partition,  made 
up  of  mucous  membrane.      This  curtain  is  found  about  four  inches 
Irom  the  outside,  and  is  known  as  the  hymen.      This  membrane  is 
destroyed,  or  should  be,  when  the  mare  is  first  put   to    the   horse, 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  45 

althoujj'h  we  ot'len   liave   it    broken    down    in   other   ways,    and    in 
some  cases  it  will  disappear  of  its  own  accord.      The   part   of  the 
passage  in  front  of  the  hymen  is  called  the  vagina.      This  passage, 
in  structure,   resembles  the   womb,   but  is  not  so  strong.      There 
are  numerous  glands  situated  along  the  inner  coat  or  lining  of  this 
passage  which  secrete  a  fluid  to  lubricate  it.      The  principal  use  of 
this  organ  is  to  guide  the  penis  when  the  animals  are  performing 
sexual   intercourse,    and   also  serves  at   the  time  of  foaling   as  a 
passage  for  the  foal  to  come  out  through       The   part    ot    the    pas- 
sage behind  the  hymen  is  known  as  the   vulva.      It    is    about    four 
inches  long  and  about  two  or  three  inches  high,  varying  according 
to    the    size    ot    the    mare.      In    front    it    is    separated     from     the 
vagina    by    the    hymen    membrane.      It    resembles   the   vagina   in 
structure,  and  also  has    little  glands   in  its  inner  coat   to   secrete 
a  fluid  to  lubricate  the  passage.      At    the  back  part  of  the  vulva, 
or  around  the  outside,  is  what  is   known  as  the  lips  of  the  vulva, 
one  on  each   side  of   the   opening.      The  outside   of    the  lips   are 
covered   by  a   very  fine   skin,  and,   just   below   the    skin,    they  are 
made  up  of  erectile  tissue,  which  is  the  same  kind  of  tissue  as   is 
found    in    the    penis    of    the    horse.      This    tissue    is    found    more 
abundantly  in  the  lips  of  the  vulva  of  the  young  mare  than   in   the 
lips  of  the  vulva  of  the  old  mare.      The  opening  betw^een  these  lips 
is  situated  just  below  the  anus,   or   the   opening   where  the  back 
bowel  ends.      At  the  back  part  of  the  vulva,  on  the  under  side,    is 
an  opening,  or  hole,  about  large  enough  to  allow   a    man's   finger 
to  pass  in  ;   this  hole  is  where  the  tube  leading   from    the   bladder 
comes  up  into  the  passage  and  allows  the  urine,  or  water,  to  pass 
into   the   vulva,    where  it   runs   out  of  the  body.      The  clitoris  is 
situated  on  the  under  side  of  this  passage,  just  inside  the  lips,  and 
can  be  seen  in  the  mare  after  passing  water  when  she  works  the 
vulva.      Just  below  the  clitoris  are  found  two  or  three  small  glands 
which    secrete    the    fluid    that     passes    away    when    the    mare     is 
horsing. 

Mammary  Glands,  or  what  is  known  as  the  mare's  bag,  are 
two  gland.s  situated  between  the  thighs,  the  use  of  which  is  to 
secrete  the  milk  after  birth  to  feed  the  young  animal.  In 
the  young  mare  they  are  very  small,  but  after  the  mare  is 
with  foal  a  few  months  these  glands  begin  to  get  large,  and  at 
foaling  time  they  attain  their  largest  size.  These  glands  are 
coxered  out.side  by  a  thin,  smooth  skin.     The  substance  of  tl\em  are 


46  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

made  up  of  small  glands  and  tubes — the  glands  secrete  the  milk 
from  the  blood,  while  the  tubes  retain  or  hold  the  milk  until  it  is 
drawn  away  from  the  bag  either  by  milking  or  the  young  animal 
sucking  During  the  time  of  suckling  the  young,  the  glands  are 
largely  supplied  with  blood,  from  which  the  milk  is  secreted. 
On  the  under  side  of  each  gland  is  found  the  teat,  or  the  part 
the  young  animal  takes  hold  of  in  sucking.  The  end  of  the  teat 
is  pierced   by  several   small   holes,   where    the   milk  comes  out. 

THE  FOETUS,  OR  YOUNG  ANIMAL  BEFORE  BIRTH. 

In  considering  this  we  must  first  speak  of  the  ovum,  or  egg, 
which  is  secreted  by  the  ovary  of  the  mare.  Every  time  she  comes 
in  season  (which  occurs  every  three  weeks  during  the  hot  weather) 
this  ovum,  or  egg,  passes  down  the  tubes  before  mentioned  into  the 
womb,  where  it  remains  a  few  days  and  then  dies  if  she  is  not  put  to 
the  horse  ;  but,  if  during  the  time  this  ovum  is  in  the  womb  she  is 
put  to  the  horse  and  one  of  the  little  bodies  which  is  found  in  the 
semen  of  the  horse  comes  in  contact  with  it  the  ovum  and  this 
little  body  unites  together,  the  rest  of  the  semen  dies  and  passes 
away,  while  the  neck  of  the  womb  gradually  contracts  until  it  is 
perfectly  tight.  These  two  little  bodies  begin  to  grow  when 
united  and  forms  the  fcelus,  or  foal.  The  three  parts  connected 
with  the  foetus,  are  the  foetus,  navel  string,  and  cleanings, 
or  placenta  The  cleaning,  or  placenta,  is  the  part  which  is  found 
covering  the  foal  and  is  attached  to  the  little  pea-like  elevations 
on  the  inside  of  the  womb.  This  covering  is  found  to  be  full  of 
small  blood  vessels  which  run  to  one  point  where  they  unite 
to  form  two  larger  vessels,  known  as  the  navel  veins,  which  carry 
the  blood  up  through  the  navel  opening  of  the  foal  where  it  passes 
up  to  its  heart  ;  by  the  action  of  the  heart  it  is  forced  out  all 
through  the  body  of  the  foal  and  returned  to  the  heart  and  then 
forced  down  another  artery  which  passes  it  down  to  the  navel 
opening,  along  the  navel  cord,  into  the  cleaning  or  placenta 
again,  where  it  is  distributed  through  the  small  blood  vessels.  As 
the  blood  comes  down  this  cord  from  the  foal  it  is  in  its  impure 
state,  and  while  it  is  passing  through  these  small  vessels  in  the 
cleaning  it  comes  very  close  to  the  small  blood  vessels  in  the 
womb.  The  blood  is  cleansed  and  nourished  from  the  blood  of  its 
mother  by  a  process  similar  to  that  which  was  spoken  of  in  con- 
nection with  the  lungs.  The  foetus,  or  foal,  does  not  grow  so  fast 
the  first  month  as  it  does  later  on  ;   at  the  age  of  seventeen   weeks 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  47 

the  first  hair  appears  on  the  lips  and  the  tip  of  the  tail ;  between 
the  thirty-fifth  and  fortieth  week  the  foal  begins  to  show  signs  of 
life,  and  is  completely  covered  with  hair.  After  this  time  the  foal 
grows  very  rapidly  and  can  be  seen  moving  around  by  watching 
at  the  flank.  The  mare  carries  her  foal  eleven  months,  but  in 
some  cases  in  aged  mares  they  have  been  known  to  carry  their 
foal  over  twelve  months,  and  in  rare  cases  in  young  mares  they 
lack  a  few  davs  of  eleven  months. 

How  to  Tell  When  a  Mare  is  With  Foal.— The  first  thing  that 

is  noticed  is  that  she  does  not  come  in  season  at  the  end  of  three 
weeks,  and  if  felt  at  the  flanks  she  will  be  noticed  to  be  peevish 
and  cross,  and  also  ugly  to  other  horses.  The  mare  usually  feeds 
and  thrives  better  at  this  period,  and  at  the  end  of  three  or  four 
months  she  begins  to  get  larger  at  the  flanks,  and  gradually 
continues  getting  larger  until  foaling  time.  Mares  that  are  fed  on 
hard  feed  and  worked  do  not  usually  get  as  large  as  mares  fed  on 
rough  feed  and  not  w'orked.  At  about  the  fifth  or  sixth  month 
the  foal  begins  stirring  in  the  w-omb,  which  can  be  seen  at  the 
flank  ;  this  is  noticed  mostly  after  the  mare  has  had  a  drink  of 
cold  water  ;  it  also  can  be  felt  by  pressing  the  hand  against  the 
flank  on  the  left  side.  At  about  the  sixth  month  in  the  young 
mare  the  mammary  glands,  or  bag,  begins  to  get  large,  and 
gradually  gets  larger  until  the  time  of  foaling. 

Signs  of  Foalin§:. — The  muscles  and  ligaments  gradually  be- 
come relaxed  until  there  is  quite  a  hollow  at  each  side  of  the  tail. 
The  vulva  gets  quite  large  at  foaling  time  and  wax  usually  runs 
from  the  teats  of  the  mare  a  few  days  before.  A  few  hours  before 
foaling  she  is  noticed  to  be  walking  around  and  acting  quite 
uneasy  until  the  labor  pains  come  on,  when  her  restlessness 
increases  to  getting  up  and  down  and  forcing,  until  what  is  known 
as  the  water  bag  comes  out  and  breaks  ;  the  labor  pains  increase, 
and  she  lies  down,  forcing  violently,  until  the  front  legs  and  head 
of  the  foal  appear,  when  it  soon  slips  out,  and  the  cleaning 
generally  comes  with  it.  Sometimes  the  foal  comes  backwards, 
which  is  harder  on  the  mare.  If  the  mouth  of  the  foal  is  examined 
immediately  it  is  found  to  contain  what  is  known  as  the  melt, 
which  looks  like  a  piece  of  liver. 


48  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER   XI. 

THE    SKIN. 

vHIS   is   the  membrane  which  covers  the  body,  and  consists 


of  two  la3'ers  called  the  dermis  and  epidermis.  The 
epidermis  is  the  outer  layer  of  skin,  and  is  made  up  of 
epithelium  and  protects  the  under  layer  from  the  air  and  slight 
injuries,  this  layer  underg"oes  a  continual  process  of  being"  made 
up  and  passing-  away  in  dandruff.  The  dermis  or  true  skin  is  well 
supplied  with  blood  and  nerves,  part  of  the  nerves  being"  the 
nerves  of  touch.  What  is  known  as  the  sweat  glands  are  found 
in  this  layer.  When  the  skin  is  injured,  the  outside  layer  being" 
knocked  off.  this  part  of  the  skin  is  very  painful.  The  skin  is 
attached  on  the  inside  to  the  body  by  a  layer  of  white  tissue  which 
is  known  as  the  areolar  tissue,  this  being"  the  tissue  which  is  cut 
throug"h  in  skinning  an  animal.  The  skin  varies  in  thickness  on 
different  parts  of  the  body,  being  thinnest  on  the  under  parts. 

HAIR. 

There  are  three  kinds  of  hair  on  the  horse,  the  common, 
which  covers  most  of  the  body,  being  the  finest  of  the  three.  The 
mane  and  tail,  which  is  coarse  and  long.  Around  the  muzzle  or 
nose  and  the  lips  are  found  long  hairs,  usually  black  and  called 
cat  hairs. 

On  the  inside  of  the  front  legs,  just  above  the  knee,  and  on 
the  inside  of  the  hind  legs,  about  the  hock,  are  rough,  horny  spots 
which  are  called  chestnuts. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE    HOOK 

THIS  is  a  very  important  point   in   anatomy  in   connection 
with  the  lameness  of  the  horse.      The  hoof  of  the  horse 
corresponds  to  the  finger   nail  of  the  man — it  is  divided 
into  three  distinct  parts,  the  wall,  the  sole,  and  the  frog. 

The  Wall  is  the  part  of  the  hoof  that  is  seen  when  the  foot  is 
resting  flat  on  the  ground  ;  it  is  divided  into  the  toe,  the  quarters, 
the  heels  and  the  bars.  The  toe  forms  the  front  of  the  hoof,  and 
is  the  thickest  and  strongest  part  of  the  wall.  The  quarters  are 
situated  at  the  side  of  the  hoof.  The  walls  are  not  nearly  so  thick 
here  as  at  the  toe,  but  are  almost  straight  up  and  down.     The  heels 


—  4- 


11 


lO 


9 


PLATE  III.— FOOT  OF  THE   HORSE. 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IIL 


FOOT  OF  THE   HORSE. 

This  cut  represents    the   foot   of  a   horse    sawed    from    above    the 

fetlock  down  througfh  the  centre  of  the  foot,  showing-  the 

structure  of  the  foot,  and  gfivingf  the  names  of 

each  part  according-  to  number. 


I.  Lower  end  of  large  metacarpal, 
or  shin  bone. 

.2.  Bursa,  which  secretes  the  joint 
oil  that  lubricates  the  place 
where  the  tendon,  or  cord,  on 
the  front  of  the  leg-  passes 
down  over  the  front  of  the  fet- 
lock joint.  This  is  important 
as  it  sometimes  gets  injured 
and  becomes  enlarged,  it  is 
then  called  a  puffy  or  bursal 
enlargement,  and  is  of  the 
same  nature  as  a  wind  gall. 

3.  Fetlock  joint. 

4.  Large  pastern  bone. 

5.  Pastern   joint.     This  joint  is   im- 

portant, for  when  diseased  it  is 
the  seat  of  a  high-up  ringbone. 

6.  Coffin   joint.       This    joint    is    im- 


portant   for  when  it  is  diseased 

it  is   the    seat    of  a    low-down 

ringbone. 
Wall  of  the  hoof. 
Quick    of  the    foot,    or    sensitive 

wall. 
Quick  of  the  foot,  or  sensitive  sole. 
Os  Pedis,  or  foot  bone. 
Coffin,    or  navicular  bone.      This 

is  important  for  when  diseased 

it    is    the    seat    of   coffin   joint 

lameness. 
Fatty  Frog. 

Frog  of  the  foot,  or  horny  frog. 
Back  tendons  below  fetlock. 
Fetlock  bones  (2  in  number)  one 

on  each  side  of  the  joint. 
Skin. 
Back  tendons  above  fetlock. 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.  —  Every  place  where  Tablespoonful  is 
mentioned  in  this  booI<  should  read :  Small,  or  Desert 
T.ablespoonful,   which   is  equal   to  two   Teaspoonfuls. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  53 

are  situated  at  the  back  part  of  the  foot.  From  the  heel  is  a  process 
of  hoof,  which  looks  like  a  bar,  passing-  forward  between  the  frog- 
and  the  sole  of  the  foot  ;  this  can  be  seen  plainly  by  raising-  up  the 
horse's  foot.  There  is  one  of  these  at  each  side  of  the  frog, 
and  they  act  as  a  brace  to  the  heel  and  the  quarters  of 
the  wall  ;  these  are  called  the  bars.  Covering  the  outside 
of  the  wall  is  a  fine  membrane  which  gives  the  hoof  the 
polished  appearance  ;  this  is  called  the  periople.  This  can  be  best 
seen  when  a  horse's  hoof  is  well  washed  off,  as  it  is  after 
travelling  through  wet  grass,  which  gives  the  hoof  a  shining 
appearance.  The  use  of  this  membrane  is  to  keep  the  moisture  in 
the  hoof  and  protect  it  from  water.  This  is  a  point  of  importance 
in  connection  with  shoeing  horses,  as  it  is  very  injurious  to  file  the 
wall  too  much.  Around  the  top  part  of  the  wall,  where  it  unites 
witli  the  skin,  is  found  a  groove  which  contains  a  white  band, 
called  the  coronary  substance,  or  band.  The  use  of  this  is  tc 
nourish  the  wall  of  the  hoof,  or,  in  other  words,  it  is  from  this  the 
wall  of  the  hoof  grows.  The  under  part  of  the  wall,  or  the  part 
which  rests  on  the  ground  in  the  unshod  animal,  or  the  part  tc 
which  the  shoe  is  nailed  in  the  shod  animal,  is  called  the  spread  of 
the  foot.  On  the  inside  of  the  wall,  attaching  it  to  the  bone  of 
the  foot  called  the  os  pedis,  is  the  part  called  the  quick,  or  sensitive 
laminae.  This  is  a  point  of  importance  in  connection  with  driving 
nails  in  shoeing,  so  as  not  to  drive  the  nail  into  this  membrane  or 
even  press  on  it,  for  it  is  very  sensitive.  When  a  nail  has  been 
driven  in  so  as  to  injure  this  membrane  it  is  the  common  expres- 
sion, "you  have  pricked  that  horse's  foot." 

The  Sole  is  a  thick  plate  of  horn  which  helps  to  form  the 
under  part  of  the  hoof.  It  is  situated  between  the  inner  border  of 
the  under  part  of  the  wall  already  mentioned  and  the  front  of  the 
frog.  The  under  part  of  the  sole  is  concave,  or  hollowed  out  ; 
the  upper  part  of  the  sole  is  attached  to  the  under  part  of  the 
OS  pedis  bone,  or  bone  of  the  foot,  by  a  membrane  called  the  quick, 
■or  sensitive  sole — this  membrane  is  just  a  continuation  of  the 
sensitive  laminse.  The  outer  part  of  the  sole  is  attached  to  the 
inner  part  of  the  wall.  When  pared  down  a  white  ring  is  seen 
where  the  sole  and  the  wall  is  united.  At  the  back  part  of  the 
sole  there  is  a  notch  the  shape  of  the  letter  V  ;  in  thi.'i  notch  the 
frog  is  situated.  An  important  point  to  remember  ii;  shoeing  is 
never  to  let  the  shoe  rest  on  any  part  oi'  the  sole,    and,    also   it    is 


54  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

not  well  to  pare  off  too  much  of  the  barky-looking  substance  of 
the  sole  as  it  helps  to  keep  the  moisture  in  the  foot.  When  this 
is  taken  off  it  allows  the  moisture  to  escape  and  it  becomes  dry- 
and  contracted. 

The  Frogf  is  the  prominent  spongy  horn  found  in  the  V  shaped 
notch  in  the  back  of  the  sole.  It  is  wide  at  the  back,  helping-  to 
form  the  heels  of  the  foot,  the  pointed  part  in  the  front  is  called  the 
apex  of  the  frog".  The  under  part  of  the  frog  is  triangular  ir* 
shape  and  has  a  hollow  in  it  called  the  cleft  of  the  frog.  There  is  a 
hollow  at  each  side  of  the  frog,  between  it  and  the  bars, 
called  the  commissures  of  the  frog.  On  the  upper  part  is  a 
membrane,  known  as  the  sensitive  frog,  which  attaches  the  frog 
to  the  under  part  of  the  os  pedis,  or  foot  bone.  This  membrane  is 
simply  a  continuation  of  the  sensitive  sole  spoken  of  in  connection 
with  the  sole.  The  back  part  of  the  frog  is  the  widest  part  and 
spreads  out  forming  the  heels. 

To  get  the  best  idea  of  the  structure  of  the  foot,  get  a  hoof 
and  the  bones  of  the  leg  as  far  up  as  the  fetlock,  and  saw  them 
down  through  the  centre,  which  will  show  you  the  exact  confor- 
mation. The  shape  of  the  hoof  differs  in  animals — large  draft 
horses  are  apt  to  have  what  is  termed  a  flat  foot,  while  in  the  road 
horses  the  chief  trouble  is  what  is  known  as  contracted  feet  and 
weak  heels. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  EAR. 

THE  ear  of  the  horse  is  divided  into  several  parts.  The 
inner  part,  or  drum  of  the  ear,  is  situated  in  the  hardest 
bone  in  the  body,  called  the  petrosal.  The  nerve  which 
passes  into  the  drum  of  the  ear,  and  gives  the  sense  of  hearing,  is- 
called  the  the  auditory  nerve.  From  the  drum  a  small  opening: 
passes  out  into  the  outer  part  of  the  ear;  this  is  the  portion  which 
is  seen  on  top  of  the  head,  and  is  made  up  of  a  membrane  known 
as  the  cartilage  which  gives  the  ear  its  stiffness.  This  cartilage 
is  covered  by  a  fine,  delicate  skin,  which  is  covered  on  the  outside 
by  fine,  short  hair.  Situated  on  the  inner  side  of  the  outer  ear 
are  numerous  long  hairs  projecting  outwards,  the  use  of  which  is 
to  keep  foreign  bodies  from  dropping  into  the  ear.  The  ear  is 
moved  backwards  and  forwards  by  small  muscles  which  are 
attached  around  it. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  HORSE.  55 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  EYE. 

THE  eye  is  the  chief  organ  of  sigiit,  and  is  situated  in  the 
orbital  fossa,  which  was  mentioned  in  the  bones  of  the 
head.  It  is  chiefly  made  up  of  several  coats  around  the 
outside  and  in  the  centre,  by  the  humours  of  the  eye.  On  the  inner 
side  of  the  coats  is  a  thin  membrane  called  the  retina,  which 
contains  the  branches  of  the  optic  nerve,  this  receives  the  re- 
flections of  objects  as  they  pass  through  the  humours  of  the  eye 
and  they  pass  along  the  optic  nerve  to  the  brain.  The  oblong 
openings  seen  in  the  middle  of  the  eye  are  known  as  the  pupils 
of  the  eye.  In  leading  a  horse  out  of  a  dark  stable  into  the 
light  and  watching  the  pupils  of  the  eye,  they  will  be  noticed 
to  get  smaller,  then  on  returning  it  to  the  stable  the  pupils 
will  be  noticed  to  dilate  or  get  larger,  thus  it  is  seen  the 
pupil  does  not  always  remain  the  same  size.  The  chief  use 
of  the  pupil  is  to  gauge  the  sight.  At  the  back  part  of  the  eye 
are  several  muscles  which  are  attached  from  around  the  eye  to  the 
bones  in  the  fossa,  the  use  of  these  muscles  are  to  move  the  eye 
and  assist  in  holding  it  to  its  place.  Around  the  front  part  of  the 
eye  are  two  movable  curtains,  one  above  and  the  other  below, 
these  are  called  the  eyelids,  the  use  of  which  are  to  open  and  close 
the  eye,  and  also  to  potect  it  from  injuries.  Around  the  free  border 
of  the  eyelids  are  what  is  known  as  the  eyelashes,  the  use  of 
which  are  to  keep  foreign  substances  from  falling  into  the  eye. 
Situated  in  the  inner  angle  of  the  eye  is  what  is  known  as  the  haw 
of  the  eye,  this  membrane  also  helps  to  protect  the  eye.  In  the 
corner  of  this  angle  is  a  small  duct  or  opening,  where  the  tears  of 
the  eye  pass  down  through  into  the  nasal  tubes,  where  it  is  carried 
down  through  the  bones  of  the  head  and  emptied  into  the  under 
part  of  the  nostril  or  nose.  A  small  gland  is  situated  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  eye,  secreting  the  tears  which  lubricate  the  eye. 
The  color  of  the  eye  is  generally  brown,  but  in  some  cases  it  is 
white  and  receives  the  name  of  a  walled  eye. 


56  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    TEETH. 

THE  teeth  are  situated  in  the  mouth,  in  the  upper  and  lower 
jaws.  They  are  made  up  ot"  the  same  tissue  as  bone,  but 
they  contain  10^2  per  cent,  more  of  the  earthy  salts,  this 
is  what  makes  them  so  very  hard.  Unlike  bone,  they  can  stand 
exposure  to  air  and  friction  without  becoming  diseased.  The 
teeth  are  made  up  of  three  hard  substances,  viz. :  dentine,  or  ivor\  ; 
enamel ;  and  crusta  petrosa.  The  dentine  or  ivory  is  situated  in 
the  upper  part  of  the  tooth  around  the  pulp  or  ner\e  cavity;  it  is 
largely  supplied  with  nerves  which  pass  through  it  from  the  pulp 
cavity,  and  is  of  a  vellowish  color.  The  enamel  is  the  hardest 
substance  of  the  tooth  and  covers  over  the  outside  of  all  the 
exposed  part  of  the  tooth,  this  substance  is  characterized  by  its 
whiteness,  and  unlike  the  dentine,  there  is  no  blood  \essels  or 
nerves  in  it,  and  if  part  of  the  enamel  is  broken  off  it  is  never 
replaced  again,  and  the  tooth  below  the  part  broken  off  generally 
becomes  decayed.  The  crusta  petrosa  is  found  in  the  fangs  or 
roots  of  the  teeth  and  the  parts  situated  below  the  gum,  this  sub- 
stance is  the  softest  part  of  the  tooth.  Each  tooth  is  divided  into 
the  body  or  crown,  which  is  the  part  above  the  gum,  the  table  of 
the  tooth,  which  is  the  part  that  comes  into  wear  on  the  top. 
The  neck  of  the  tooth  is  the  part  where  the  gums  are  attached, 
and  the  fangs  or  roots  are  the  parts  situated  down  in  the  bone. 

The  uses  of  the  teeth  are  to  masticate  or  chew  the  food,  and 
are  also  used  to  tell  the  age  of  the  animal.  There  are  three  kinds 
of  teeth  found  in  the  horse,  viz.:  The  incisors  or  front  teeth, 
which  are  situated  in  the  front  part  of  the  mouth  just  inside  the 
lips,  are  twelve  in  number,  six  above  and  six  below.  The  canine 
or  bridle  teeth,  which  are  found  mostly  in  the  horse  or  male 
animal  and  are  often  absent  in  the  mare,  are  four  in  number,  two 
in  the  upper  jaw  and  two  in  the  lower  jaw,  one  on  each  side, 
a  couple  of  inches  back  from  the  front  teeth.  These  teeth  are 
from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  above  the 
gum,  they  are  round  and  pointed  and  are  of  no  particular  use. 
They  resemble  the  eye  teeth  in  other  animals.  The  molars  or  back 
teeth  are  twenty-four  in  number,  six  on  each  side  in  the  upper 
jaw,  and  six  on  each  side  in  the  lower  jaw,  their  use  is  to  grind 
and  masticate  the  food. 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE   HORSE.  57 

WOLF  TEETH. 

The  wolf  teeth  are  two  small,  round,  pointed,  temporary 
teeth  which  v'ary  in  size  in  different  animals,  and  are  situated  one 
on  each  side  in  front  of  the  molars  or  back  teeth  in  the  upper  jaw. 
They  commence  to  grow  soon  after  the  birth  of  the  animal  and 
if  not  pulled  or  knocked  out  usually  decay  between  the  ages  of 
five  and  eight  years  and  drop  out.  These  teeth  affect  the  eve 
causing-  it  to  look  dull  and  run  water,  and  should  be  pulled 
out  when  first  noticed. 

The  horse  has  two  sets  of  teeth,  the  milk  teeth  are  temporary 
and  are  the  ones  that  the  colt  sheds,  while  the  ones  that  come  in 
and  remain  without  being  shed,  are  called  the  permanent  teeth. 
The  cutting  of  the  teeth  in  the  foal  varies  some,  but  at  or  within 
nine  days  after  birth  the  foal  has  four  front  teeth  two  in  the 
centre  above  and  two  below,  and  in  the  back  part  of  the  mouth  he 
is  found  to  have  twelve  molars,  at  from  seven  to  nine  weeks  he 
gets  four  more  incisors  or  front  teeth,  one  at  each  side  of  the  two 
centre  teeth  in  each  jaw;  at  nine  months  old  he  gets  the  last 
of  his  milk  or  temporary  teeth,  these  being  the  corner  teeth,  two  in 
the  upper  side  of  the  jaw  and  two  in  the  lower  side  of  the  jaw. 
Now  he  has  his  full  set  of  milk  or  temporary  teeth,  consisting  of 
twelve  molars  or  grinders  and  twelve  incisors  or  front  teeth,  six- 
above  and  six  below,  making  twenty-four  teeth  in  all.  As  the 
colt  advances  in  age  he  must  shed  all  these  teeth.  After  this  age 
the  colt  commences  getting  his  permanent  teeth;  when  the  age  of 
one  year  is  reached  he  gets  four  permanent  molars,  two  in  each 
jaw  one  on  each  side  behind  the  three  temporary  ones.  At  two  vears 
old  he  gets  four  more  back  molars,  one  on  each  side  of  each  jaw. 
When  the  age  of  two  years  and  nine  months  has  been  reached  the 
two  middle  teeth  of  the  temporary  incisors  or  front  teeth  of  each 
jaw  fall  out  and  are  replaced  by  two  permanent  incisors  in  each 
jaw,  so  at  the  age  of  three  years  these  four  permanent  incisors  are 
up  and  in  wear.  At  this  age,  the  first  eight  molars,  two  on 
each  side  of  each  jaw,  are  shed  and  replaced  by  eight  permanent 
molars.  At  four  years  old  he  sheds  four  more  front  teeth  next  to 
the  ones  shed  at  three  years  old,  and  are  replaced  by  four  more 
permanent  incisors  or  front  teeth.  Also  at  this  age  it  sheds  the 
four  remaining  temporary  molars  or  grinders,  which  are  replaced 
by  four  more  permanent  molars,  and  he  also  gets  four  more  per- 
manent   molars    at    the   back   of   the    mouth,    thus    at   the  age  of 


68  THE   VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

four  years  the  colt  has  a  full  set  of  permanent  molars,  consisting^ 
of  six  on  each  side  of  each  jaw,  making-  twenty-four  in  all.  At 
five  years  old  he  sheds  the  four  remaining  temporary  incisors  or- 
front  teeth,  which  are  replaced  by  four  permanent  incisors,  these 
are  known  as  the  corner  teeth.  It  is  well  to  become  familiar  with 
the  time  the  colt  sheds  his  diflferent  teeth,  for  sometimes  the  caps 
or  shells  of  the  teeth  do  not  fall  off  when  they  should;  these  should 
be  watched,  for  they  greatly  interfere  with  the  animal  feeding  and 
should  be  removed  by  a  pair  of  pincers.  At  five  years  of  age  the 
canine  or  bridle  teeth  make  their  appearance,  so  at  the  age  of  five 
years  the  colt  has  all  his  teeth  or  what  is  known  as  a  full  mouth. 

TABLE  OF  THE  TEETH. 

Age.  Incisors  or  Front  Teeth.     Molars  or  Grinders. 

Temporary  or       Permanpnt  Temporary  or       permanent 

Milk  Teeth.         Permanent.  ^j;,^  ^^^^^^         Permanent 

The  foal  at  or  soon  after  birth 4  0  12  0 

"           nine  weeks 8  0  12  0 

"           nine  months 12  0  12  0 

The  colt  at  one  year 12  0  12  4 

"           two      "    12  0  12  8 

«'            three   "    8  4  4  16 

four     "    4  8  0  24 

five       "      0  12  0  24 

At  five  years  old  he  gets  his  bridle,  or  canine  teeth,  which  are 
four  in  number  ;  thus  at  the  age  of  five  years  a  horse  has  a  full 
mouth  of  teeth,  numbering  forty  in  all. 

How  to  tell  the  age  of  a  horse  by  his  teeth  is  fully  explained 
hereafter  in  this  book  in  connection  with  examination  for  soundness 
of  horses. 

It  is  advisable  for  everyone  to  become  familiar  with  the 
anatomy,  or  structure  of  the  horse,  which  has  been  explained  in 
very  simple  language,  for  the  better  the  anatomy  is  understood 
the  easier  diseases  and  treatments  are  to  understand. 


PART   II. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE 

HORSE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

QUESTIONS  TO  ASK  AND  HOW  TO  EXAMINE  A  SICK  HORSE. 

IT  IS  always  well  to  inquire  into  the  history  of  the  case  by 
asking  the  following'  questions  before  making  an  examination, 
as  it  will  help  to  tell  what  is  wrong  with  the  horse  as 
well  as  giving  an  idea  as  to  what  part  is  affected.  First — find  out 
how  long  the  animal  has  been  sick.  Second — find  out  how  he  has 
been  acting.  Third — find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble  if  you  can. 
If  you  find  that  the  animal  has  been  standing  with  his  head 
hanging  down,  eating  very  little,  breathing  heavily,  and  coughing, 
you  may  come  to  the  conclusion  it  is  some  trouble  of  the  breathing 
organs.  Again,  if  you  find  out  the  animal  is  in  severe  pain,  get- 
ting up  and  down  and  rolling  about  in  the  stall,  and  slightly  bloated, 
you  may  conclude  it  is  some  trouble  of  the  stomach  or  bowels. 
Again,  if  you  find  out  the  animal  has  a  straddling  gait,  attempting 
to  make  water  often,  and  allowing  the  penis  to  pass  out  and  then 
draw  it  in,  and  sometimes  stamping  with  the  hind  legs,  you  may 
then  come  to  the  conclusion  it  is  some  trouble  of  the  urinary 
organs,  such  as  the  kidneys  or  bladder.  This  will  give  you  an 
idea,  after  hearing  the  history  of  the  case,  what  set  of  organs  to 
examine  first  In  all  cases  try  the  pulse;  it  is  generally  taken 
on  the  small  artery  which  crosses  the  under  side  of  the  jaw  about 
the  middle  ;  when  the  animal  is  in  good  health  it  should  beat  from 
88  to  40  times  per  minute,  or,  in  other  words,  this  is  the  number  of 
times  the  heart  beats  per  minute.  The  oftener  the  pulse  beats 
above  its  regular  beat  the  more  serious  the  case  is.  It  will  be 
necessary  to  examine  closely  the  organs  which  you  have  come  to 
the  conclusion  are  affected. 


60  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER    II. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  RESPIRATORY  OR 
BREATHING  ORGANS. 

SIMPLE  CATARRH  OR  COLD  IN  THE  HEAD. 

THIS  disease  means  a  running'  or  discharge  from  the  nose 
and  sinuses  of  the  head.  It  first  commences  with  cong-es- 
tion  of  the  mucous  membrane,  or  what  is  commonly  known 
as  the  lining"  membrane,  of  the  nose  and  head.  Then  this  conges- 
tion is  followed  by  an  inflammation  and  dryness  of  the  membrane, 
and  in  a  few  days  this  is  followed  by  a  discharge  of  a  watery 
nature,  which  later  on  in  the  disease  turns  to  a  thicker  fluid  of  a 
whitish  or  yellowish  color,  varying  according  to  the  severity 
of  the  case. 

Causes. — The  most  common,  perhaps,  is  exposure  or  sudden 
changes  in  the  weather,  such  as  we  have  in  the  fall  and  spring  ; 
or  standing  in  a  draft,  while  warm,  after  drivuig.  It  is  generally 
found  in  horses  that  are  in  poor  condition,  the  system  being  run 
down  by  poor  feeding  or  over  v^ork. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  noticed  to  be  dull  and  not  eating 
very  well.  The  hair  is  standing  out  and  looks  rough  ;  pulse  not 
much  affected  ;  throat  shows  soreness  when  you  press  on  it  ;  also 
discharges  freely  at  the  nostrils.  The  breathing  is  about  natural, 
and  usually  the  animal  does  not  make  quite  so  much  urine,  or 
water. 

Treatment. — As  a  general  thing  the  treatment  is  quite  simple. 
Make  the  horse  as  comfortable  as  possible  in  his  stable  ;  see  that 
plenty  of  pure  air  can  get  in,  and  tliat  his  stall  is  kept  nice  and 
clean.  Feed  him  plenty  of  soft  food  such  as  warm  bran  mashes, 
boiled  oats,  or  scalded  chopped  oats,  and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  boil 
up  some  flax  seed  and  put  a  teacupful  of  the  juice  and  boiled  flax 
seed  in  with  his  food  two  or  three  times  a  day,  according  to  how 
much  it  seems  to  loosen  the  bowels.  In  all  cases  of  this  kind  it  is 
well  to  keep  the  bowels  open  with  soft  lood.  In  bad  cases  it  is 
best  not  to  work  the  animal  very  much — just  enough  for  good 
exercise.  Give  him  a  teaspoonful  of  the  following  mixture,  three 
times  a  daj'  in  his  food,  and  if  he  will  not  take  it  in  his  food  put  it 
on  his  tongue  with  a  large  spoon,  which  can  be  done  by  drawing 
the  tongue  out  with  one  hand  and  putting  the  spoon  well  back 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  61 

into  the  mouth   with  the  other  and  turning  it  over  ;    then  hold   the 

mouth    shut    until    the    medicine    gets    wet,    so    that    he     cannot 

spit  it  out. 

Saltpetre  or  Nitrate  of  Potash , i  pound. 

Sulphur I       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root . . . .  |       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day, 
morning,  noon  and  night. 

In  some  cases  where  the  discharge   continues  very  long  it   is 

well  to  change  the  treatment   and   give   a   teaspoonful    of  ground 

sulphite  of  iron  twice  a  day,  night  and   morning,  in  his  feed  until 

the  discharge  stops.      If  his  throat  is  sore  rub  it  well  two  or  three 

times  a  day  with  white  liniment.      In  cases  where  this  discharge  is 

not  checked  it  terminates  in  what  is  known  as  chronic  catarrh,  or 

nasal  gleet. 

NASAL  GLEET  OR  CHRONIC  CATARRH. 

In  this  disease  there  is  a  glary  discharge  from  one  or  both 
nostrils.  It  is  a  chronic  mflammation  of  the  sinuses  of  the  head, 
and  the  discharge  varies  much  according  to  where  the  disease  is 
situated  and  the  length  of  time  it  has  been  going  on. 

Ca^USCS. —  First,  neglected  catarrn.  especially  if  the  animal  has 
not  been  treated  properly  and  allowed  to  run  out  in  the  cold 
without  being  properly  fed,  such  as  being  allowed  to  run  out  at  a 
straw  stack.  It  may  be  caused  by  a  severe  blow  on  the  bones  of 
the  head  over  the  sinuses,  and  also  from  a  bad  tooth.  Sometimes 
a  tumor  will  cause  it  or  some  foreign  substance,  such  as  food  or  a 
piece  of  stick  becoming  worked  up  through  the  nose  into  the 
sinuses;  or  it  might  be  caused  by  coughing  and  the  food  fly  up 
into  the  sinuses  in  this  way. 

Symptoms. — This  disease  is  sometimes  mistaken  for  glanders. 
The  animal  at  first  may  be  in  pretty  good  spirits,  but  if  the 
disease  is  allowed  to  run  on  he  will  soon  get  thin  and  run  down 
on  account  of  the  constant  discharge  from  the  nose.  There  is  a 
discharge  from  one  or  both  nostrils  of  a  yellowish  color,  the  Iming 
of  the  nose  will  be  slightly  reddened  and  in  some  cases  is  of  a 
yellowish  color.  The  way  to  tell  if  the  sinuses  are  much  affected 
is  to  tap  on  the  bone  over  the  sinuses  with  the  finger,  if  it  gives 
a  dull  sound  like  as  though  the  sinuses  were  full,  you  may  con- 
clude that  they  are  diseased,  but  if  it  gives  a  hollow  drum- 
like sound,  you  may  come  to  the  conclusion  that  the  sinuses  are 
not  much  affected  and  there  is   more   hope  of  recovery.      As    the 


62  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

disease  runs  on,  the  animal  gets  very  much  weaker,  the  discharge 

has  a  very  bad  smell;   this  shows  that  the  bones  of  the  head  are 

becoming"  affected.      If  it  is  a  bad  tooth  that  is  causing  the  trouble, 

the  discharge  will  only  come  from  one  nostril;  the  animal  will  not 

eat  very  well;  sometimes  he  will  be  noticed,  after  taking  a  bite,  to 

throw  the  food  out  of  his   mouth.       The    breath    has    a    very    bad 

smell  and  the  horse  will  soon  run  down  in  condition.      The  way  to 

distinguish  this  disease  from  glanders  is  first,   that  the  discharge 

in  glanders  is  of  a  greenish  color  and  will  sink  in  water,  while  the 

discharge  in  nasal  gleet  will  float  on  water;   second,  by  examining 

the  lining  inside  the  nose  which,   if   the  animal  has  glanders,  will 

be  found  to  be  covered  with  small  ulcers. 

Treatment. — This  disease  is  not,  as    a    general    thing,  easily 

treated.      If  the  animal   is  thin  and   run  down  in  condition,    it    is 

well  to  build  him  up  with  good  food,  regular  exercise,  pure  air  and 

the  following  mixture : 

Ground  Sulphate  of  Iron ^  pound. 

Ground  Sulphate  of  Copper i  pound. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day,  night  and 

morning,  on  his  tongue  or  in  his  feed.      Wash  the  nostrils  twice  a 

day  with  warm  water.      If  you  conclude  that  the  sinuses  are  much 

affected  or   that   some   food    or    foreign    substance  is  causing  the 

trouble,  the  treatment  will  then  be  different.      The  animal  will  have 

to  be  thrown  down  and  tied  with   a  rope,   securely,   then  strip  a 

piece  of  skin  as  large  as  a  copper  off  the  bone  with  a  knife,  and 

take  a  trephine  or  an  inch  auger  and  bore  a  hole  through  the  bone 

into  the  sinuses,  which  can  be  easily  done  for  the  bone  is  soft  and 

thin  and  does  not  cause  much  pain  to  the  animal,  and  can  be  done 

with  very  little  risk.      When  the  hole  is  through  the  discharge  will 

come  out  of  it,  and  with  it  will  generally    come    the    seat    of   the 

trouble.      Keep  the  hole  open  as  long  as  you  can  by  passing  your 

finger  into  it,  and  also  injecting  warm  water  with  a  few  drops  of 

carbolic  acid  into  it  with  a  syringe  once  a  day  ;  use   10  drops  of 

carbolic  acid  to  the  pint  of  water.      If   the  disease  is  caused  by  a 

bad  tooth,  have  the  tooth  pulled  out,  and  follow  up  with  medicines 

mentioned  above. 

ABSCESSES  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  HEAD. 

The  only  treatment  is  to  bore  a  hole  with  a  trephine  or  auger 
through  the  bones  of  the  head  into  the  abscess,  allowing  the 
matter  or  discharge  to  escape.      Inject  into  the  hole  with  a  syringe 


DISEASES  AND   TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  63 

a  little  warm  water  with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  twice  a  day 
until  healed:   use  the  carbolic  acid — 10  drops  to  the  pint  of  water. 

NASAL  POLYPI  OR  SMALL  TUMORS. 

These  are  situated  around  the  nose  and  chambers  of  the  head, 
and  are  sometimes  found  around  the  throat,  they  are  usually 
attached  by  a  neck  to  the  membrane  lining  these  organs. 

Causes. — They  are  said  to  be  due  to  some  change  in  the  sys- 
tem, but  the  cause  of  them  is  not  clearly  understood. 

Symptoms  are  rather  peculiar.  The  animal  has  difficulty  in 
breathing,  and  sometimes  acts  as  though  suffocating  and  may 
even  fall  down,  and  in  some  cases  will  get  up  and  for  a  while 
appear  better,  then  the  above  symptoms  come  on  again. 

Treatment. — Examine  the  throat  carefully  by  looking  into  the 
mouth;  have  something  to  hold  the  mouth  open  and  pass  the  hand 
back  in  the  mouth  and  feel  for  these  little  tumors.  Look  into  the 
nose,  and  if  they  are  in  reach  remove  them  by  tying  a  thin,  strong 
string  tightly  around  the  neck  or  roots  of  the  tumor,  allowing  it 
to  drop  off  of  its  own  accord.  They  are  also  removed  by  twisting 
them  off  with  the  fingers.  If  you  cannot  get  at  the  tumors  it  is 
then  a  hopeless  case. 

LARYNGITIS  OR  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  THROAT. 

Causes. — They  are  similar  to  those  of  catarrh:  Exposure, 
standing  in  a  draft  while  warm,  or  from  a  number  of  horses  being 
kept  in  a  poorly  ventilated  stable;  or  from  injuring  the  throat  in 
giving  a  ball  of  medicine.  Sometimes  it  occures  in  the  form  of  an 
epizootic,  or  where  a  number  of  animals  become  affected  at  the 
same  time  without  any  apparent  cause. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  appears  dull,  the  throat  swoolen;  if 
he  goes  to  drink  it  will  be  noticed  the  water  will  run  out  through 
the  nostrils  when  he  tries  to  swallow.  When  you  examine  the 
throat  and  press  on  it,  it  causes  him  pain  which  is  shown  by  the 
animal  jerking  back  and  if  pressed  hard  will  cause  him  to  have  a 
fit  of  coughing.  It  will  be  seen  that  he  swallows  frequently  and 
holds  his  head  in  a  peculiar  position,  as  iF  trying  to  favor 
his  throat.  The  animal  does  not  care  to  eat  much  and  what 
he  gets  should  be  soft  food,  as  it  hurts  him  to  swallow.  If  the 
pulse  is  very  much  quicker  than  natural,  and  the  above  symp- 
toms present,  you  have  then  a  very  severe  case.  The  mouth  is 
hot  and  dry  and  has  a  sticky  feeling;  he  is  noticed  to  breathe  a 
little  heavier  than  natural.     The  bowels  are  usually  a  little  costive 


64  THE  VETEEINARY  SCIENCE. 

and  the  urine  or  water  a  little  scanty,  as  in  most  all  the  diseases  of 

the  air  passages.      In   two  or  three  days,   if  the  case  is  going  on 

favorably,  it  will   be  noticed   he  will   have   a   discharge  from  the 

nostrils,    which     is    a    good    sign.       This    disease    usually    takes 

from  ten  to  twelve  days  to  run  its  course,  but  after  this  the  animal 

should  not  be  put  to  hard  work  for  some  time  as  it  is  apt  to  bring 

on  what  is  known  as  roaring  or  bronchitis. 

Treatment. — As  in  all  other  diseases  of  the  air  passages  give 

plenty  of  pure  air;  have  the  stable  well  ventilated;  clothe  the  body 

according  to  the  season  of  the  year  and  if  the  legs  are  cold  have 

them   well    hand-rubbed    and    bandaged,  and  give    the   following 

mixture: 

Saltpetre  or  Nitrate  of  Potash ^  pound. 

Clorate  of  Potash |  pound. 

Mix  the  two  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  on 
his  tongue  three  times  a  day.  Rub  the  throat  well  with  white 
liniment  three  times  a  day.  In  severe  cases  it  is  also  well  to  take 
three  tablespoonfuls  of  musitard,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  and 
enough  vinegar  to  make  it  like  a  paste,  rub  this  around  the  throat 
every  night  and  leave  on  till  morning.  Give  the  animal  plenty  of 
cold  water,  a  little  at  a  time  but  often,  feed  lots  of  hot  mashes 
with  a  little  boiled  flax  seed  which  will  have  a  laxative  effect  on 
the  bowels.  Instead  of  putting  on  mustard  a  hot  poultice  of  linseed 
and  bran  might  be  used  and  left  on  all  night.  In  very  severe 
cases,  and  when  the  animal's  life  is  threatened  by  choking  to 
death,  it  is  well  to  perform  an  operation  known  as  tracheotomy, 
which  is  done  on  the  windpipe,  about  six  inches  from  the  larynx 
or  Adam's  apple,  by  first  cutting  through  the  skin  and  then  cutting 
three  of  the  rings  in  the  windpipe  and  using  the  regular  tracheo- 
tomy tut>e  which  can  be  obtained  at  almost  any  drug  store. 
When  this  operation  is  performed  it  gives  the  horse  immediate 
relief  for  he  draws  the  air  through  the  tube  instead  of  the  nostrils. 
The  way  to  tell  when  to  take  the  tube  out  is  to  place  your  hand 
over  the  tube  which  makes  him  breathe  through  the  nose.  When 
he  breathes  clear  enough  through  his  nose  to  suit  you,  take  the 
tube  out  of  the  windpipe  and  draw  the  skin  together  over  the 
wound  by  a  couple  of  stitches  and  then  treat  as  an  ordinarj 
wound;  of  course,  this  operation  is  seldom  needed  except  in  ex- 
treme cases. 


DISEASES  A^'D  TEEATMENT  OF  THE  HOKSE.  65 

CHRONIC  COUGH. 

It  is  called  this  when  no  other  disease  can  be  seen. 

Causes. — It  may  result  from  laryngitis,  or  inflammation  of  the 
throat.  Sometimes  a  horse  is  noticed  to  have  this  kind  of  cough 
tor  some  time  before  he  takes  heaves,  or  broken  wind.  A  cough 
of  this  kind  is  generally  worse  during  changeable  weather  and  is 
sometimes  shown  more  after  eating  and  drinking  or  after  being 
brought  out  of  the  stable. 

Treatment.— Give  the  following  powder: 

Tartar  Emetic ^  pound. 

Camphor j         " 

Ground  Digitalis J         " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  one  teaspoonful  night   and    morning   in 

feed  or  on  tongue  with  a  spoon.      A  teaspoonful  of  oil  of  tar  in  his 

feed  three  times  a  day  is  also  recommended. 

ROARING. 

This  disease  is  breathing  with  a  loud  and  unnatural  sound 
upon  any  violent  exertion.  More  air  passes  into  the  nostrils  than 
can  pass  into  the  lungs,  and  this  is  due  to  the  wasting  of  the 
muscles  of  the  larnyx,  or  Adam's  apple  ;  this  condition  causes  the 
passage  through  the  larynx  to  be  smaller  than  natural.  The  air 
rushing  through  this  small  passage  into  the  lungs  acts  on  the 
vocal  cords  ;   this  is  what  causes  the  peculiar  sound. 

Causes. — This  disease  sometimes  follows  laryngitis,  distemper 
and  influenza  by  being  put  to  work  too  soon  after  recovering  from 
them.  It  may  also  be  hereditary,  that  is  where  the  sire  or  dam  of 
the  horse  has  been  aff"ected  with  roars.  It  may  come  on  from 
tight  reining.  Horses  with  very  long  necks  and  narrow  jaws  are 
apt  to  become  roarers. 

Symptoms. — As  long  as  you  do  not  excite  the  animal  he  is 
almost  free  from  it,  but  if  he  is  worked  or  driven  hard  he  w^ill  show 
it  quickly. 

Treatment. — If  this  disease  is  once  well  established  it  is 
incurable,  but  in  cases  where  the  disease  is  just  coming  on   gi\  e 

Iodide  of  Potash .^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^         " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day,  nio-ht 
and  morning,  in  his  feed,  and  blister  the  throat  with 

Ground  Spanish  Flies,  or  Cantharides ^  dram. 

Red  Precipitate,  or  Biuiodid  of  Mercury ^      " 

Vaseline,  or  Lard " f  ounce. 


66  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  thorougfhly  tog^ether  and  apply  around  the  throat,  rub  it  in 
well  and  grease  in  three  days  afterwards.  If  he  is  not  better  in  a 
month,  blister  again.  ^ 

SPASMS  OF  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  LARYNX  OR  ADAM'S   APPLE. 

This  disease  is  not  very  often  met  with  but  we  find  it  some- 
times affecting  old  horses. 

Causes  of  this  disease  are  not  known. 

Symptoms. — -The  animal  may  appear  in  perfect  health  when 
all  at  once  he  will  be  seized  with  a  violent  fit  of  coughing,  will 
reel,  stagger,  and  sometimes  even  fall  to  the  ground  ;  after  a  few 
minutes  it  will  pass  off  and  the  animal  will  seem  as  well  as  ever. 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal  a  good  dose  of  physic: 

Bitter  Aloes 1  ounce. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonfuL 

Soda 1 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  lukewarm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,   and 

allow  the  animal   to  stand  quiet  the  next   day    after    giving  this 

drench  ;    follow  up  after  this   with    a   teaspoonful    of  bromide   of 

potash  every  morning  in  his  feed. 

BLEEDING  FROM   NOSE  (EPISTAXIS). 

This  disease  is  not  so  commonly  met  with  in  horses  as  it  is 
in  man. 

Causes. — It  is  generally  the  result  of  some  injury,  or  in 
running  or  fast  trotting  horses  when  they  are  put  to  violent 
exertion,  rupturing  some  of  the  blood  vessels  in  the  nose  ;  it  is 
also  more  frequently  met  with  in  horses  in  high  condition. 

Symptoms. — How  to  tell  whether  the  blood  just  comes  from 
the  nose  or  from  the  lungs.  If  the  blood  comes  from  both  nostrils 
it  is  generally  from  the  lungs,  while  if  the  bleeding  is  from  the 
nose  it  is  usually  onlv  from  one  nostril.  You  can  also  tell  by 
putting  your  ear  to  the  windpipe  and  listening,  if  it  is  coming  from 
the  lungs  you  can  tell  by  the  gurgling  sound  heard  in  the  lungs  ; 
if  it  is  in  the  nose  you  will  not  hear  this  sound  in  the  lungs. 
When  the  blood  is  coming  from  the  lungs  the  breathing  is"  affected, 
which  is  not  the  case  when  bleeding  from  the  nose. 

Treatment. — if  not  bleeding  very  much   bathe  with  cold  water 
until  it  stops,    but  if  bleeding  much    plug  the  nostrils  witli  cotton 
batting  saturated  with  white  lotion  and  remove  in  twelve  hours. 
BLEEDING  OF  THE  LUNGS  (H/EMOPTYSIS). 

This  Is  generally  a  symptom  of  some  other  disease,  but  it  may 
come  on,  in  a  horse  in  high   condition   and   not   n^^ed   to    work,    by 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  KORSE.  67 

putting  him  to  severe  exertion  when  he  is  not  used  to  it.  It  is 
mostly  found  in  trotting  and  racing  horses  when  they  are  not 
properly  taken  care  of.  The  blood  may  come  from  the  lining  ot 
the  air  cells  or  from  the  lining  of  the  tubes  of  the  lungs. 

Symptoms.— As  a  usual  thing  it  is  not  very  hard  to  find  out 
where  the  blood  is  coming  from.  It  comes  out  of  both  nostrils  , 
the  animal  also  coughs,  breathes  quickly,  and  is  generally  very 
weak,  and  in  taking  the  pulse  you  will  find  it  beats  very  quick, 
but  weak.  By  applying  the  ear  to  the  windpipe  you  will  hear  that 
peculiar  gurgling  sound  every  time  the  animal  breathes. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  standing  very  quietly.  Apply 
cold  water  or  ice  to  the  sides  and  chest.  Be  very  careful  how  you 
drench  the  animal  in  this  disease  for  they  are  so  easily  choked  in 
diseases  of  the  lungs.      Give  as  a  drench — 

Turpentine 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls, 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 5  pint, 

which  acts  as  a  styptic  to  stop  the  bleeding  ;    or  you   might  give 

Tincture  of  Chloride  of  Iron 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water,  shake  well,  and  give  as  a  drench 
every  night  and  morning.  If  the  legs  are  cold  rub  well  and 
bandage  them.  Allow  plenty  of  fresh  air  to  get  to  the  animal  and 
blanket  according  to  the  season  of  the  year.  In  some  cases  thib 
disease  is  treated  by  giving 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls, 

in  a  pint  of  cold  water,  three  times  a  day,  morning,  noon  and 
night,  until  the  animal  has  relief.  This  disease  is  sometimes 
followed  by  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

CONGESTION  OF  THE  LUNGS. 

This  is  where  the  blood  rushes  to  the  lungs  from  a  chill  or 
some  other  cause,  filling  up  the  arteries  and  veins  in  the  lungs 
and  causing  them  to  become  gorged  with  blood.  This  disease  is 
always  found  before  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  that  is,  if  the 
congestion  is  not  relieved  it  terminates  in  inflammation. 

Causes  of  this  disease  are  standing  in  a  draft  while  warm, 
getting  a  cold  drink  of  water  while  the  animal  is  warm,  or  by 
putting  the  horse  to  severe  exertion,  such  as  running,  trotting, 
or  drawing  heavy  loads,  when  the  system  is  not  in  proper  shape 
to  stand  it.  It  sometimes  follows  other  diseases  such  as  catarrh 
or  influenza. 

Symptoms  vary  much  according  to  the  cause.  If  from  fast 
or    hard    work    the    symptoms    are    well     marked.       The    animal 


68  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

becomes  slugg-ish,  trembles  at  the  flank,  breathes  heavy,  nostrils  are 

dilated  or  enlarged,  pulse  is  quick  and  weak,  the  lining-  around  the 

eyes  and  nose  becomes  very  much  reddened  ;  by  placing  your  ear 

to  the  sides  of  the  chest  or  to  the   windpipe   there   is  P    peculiar 

gurgling  noise  ;    the  legs  and  ears  will  be   cold.      If  the   disease 

follows  a  case  of  catarrh  or  influenza  he  then   will  be   noticed   to 

refuse  his  food,   tremble  all  over  the   body,    ears  and   legs    cold, 

mouth  hot,  pulse  quick  and  weak,  and  by  placing  your  ear  at  the 

sides  you  will  hear  the  peculiar  sounds.      The  animal  stands,  as  he 

is  generally  found  to  do  in  all  lung  troubles,  and  if  he  does  go   to 

lie  down  will  get  up  immediately.      If  the  animal    does    not   soon 

get  relief  the  disease  will  run  into  inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

Treatment. — The    treatment   must  be   quick.      This   is   not   a 

very    fatal  disease,   but    a   simple  one  to  treat    if  taken  in  time. 

Keep    him    well     supplied     with     good,     fresh     air,     and     always 

be  careful   he  does  not  stand  in   a   draft.      Keep   the    body    well 

covered  according  to  the  time  of  the  year,  and  give 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre. 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Laudanum \       "  2  " 

Put  in  a  pint  of  cold  water,  shake  well  and  give  as   a  drench, 

being  careful  not  to  choke  the  animal  in  giving  it.      Have  the  legs 

well  hand  rubbed,  if  cold,  and  bandaged  ;  and  if  the  animal   is   in 

high  condition   and  full  of  blood  it  is  well  to  give,  with  the  above 

drench, 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  15  drops. 

Also  put  a  mustard  plaster  on  the  sides  over  the  lungs.    Take  \  lb.  of 

mustard,  with  3  or  4  tablespoonfuls  of  flour  and   enough   vinegar 

or  warm  water  to  make  it  into  the  form  of  a  paste.      Rub  this  well 

over  the  sides  of  the  chest  with  the  hand,  and  in  some  cases   it  is 

well  to  rub  the  front  of  the  chest  as  well   as  the   sides.      In  some 

cases  we  find  great  benefit  in  having   cloths    wrung   out  of  warm 

water  held  up  to  the  sides.      If  he  is  not    relieved   in    a   couple    o'l 

hours  give   another  drench,   same  as  the   one   mentioned    above  ; 

repeat  the  drench  every  two  hours  until  the  animal   has  relief.      It 

is  also  well  to  give  him  only  a  mouthful  of  cold  water  at   a  time, 

but  give  it  to  him  often.      Feed  him  soft  food,  and  after  he  begins 

to  get  better,  exercise  him  a  little  by  walking   around  ;  also   giv? 

the  following  mixture : 

Ground  Gentian  Root \  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash,  or  Saltpetre ,.\       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and    give  a  teaspoonful    three  times  a 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  69 

day  in  his  feed,  and  gradually  bring-  him  back  to  his  natural   feed 
and  work  again. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS  (PNEUMONIA). 

This  disease  is  inflammation  of  the  lung-  substance  itself  and 
is  quite  a  common  disease.  The  lung's  in  their  natural  state  will 
float  on  water.  In  the  first  stagfe  of  this  disease  the  lungs  are 
filled  with  blood  and  serum,  and  they  are  of  a  dull  reddish 
color  ;  at  this  stage,  if  the  animal  dies,  the  lungs  will  still  float  on 
water.  As  the  disease  runs  on,  if  not  cured,  the  lungs  change  to 
a  dark,  grayish  appearance  ;  if  the  animal  dies  and  the  lungs  are 
put  in  water  they  will  sink. 

Causes — Are  much  the  same  as  those  of  congestion  of  the 
lungs  and  generally  come  on  horses  kept  in  a  poorly  ventilated 
stable,  which  has  a  tendency  to  weaken  the  lungs  ;  sudden  changes 
in  the  weather,  such  as  we  have  in  the  fall  and  spring,  are  liable 
to  bring  the  disease  on.  It  is  also  sometimes  caused  by  keeping 
a  horse  in  a  warm  stable  and  then  turning  him  out  to  pasture  to 
lie  on  the  cold  ground  ;  or,  if  while  he  is  out,  a  cold  rain  storm 
comes  on  and  he  gets  wet  and  is  chilled  through  ;  or,  if  a  horse  is 
clipped  and  exposed  to  the  cold  ;  standing  in  a  draft  while  warm  ; 
inhaling  smoke  ;  also  by  driving  against  a  cold  wind  too  soon 
after  he  has  had  influenza,  distemper,  or  any  of  those  weakening 
diseases.      It  also  frequently  follows  congestion  of  the  lungs. 

Symptoms. — Are  much  the  same  as  congestion  of  the  lungs, 
only  plainer.  There  is,  generally,  very  little  trouble  in  telling  the 
disease.  It  commences  first  by  the  animal  shivering,  after  the 
shivering  ceases  heat  takes  place  ;  the  ears  and  legs  will  first  be 
hot  and  then  cold  ;  the  mouth  is  sticky  and  the  breathing  affected, 
but  not  so  much  as  in  a  pure  case  of  congestion  of  the  lungs  ;  the 
pulse  is  quick,  ranging  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  beats  to  the 
minute,  which  is  stronger  than  in  a  case  of  congestion  ;  the  horse 
does  not  care  to  eat ;  stands  up  all  the  time,  with  head  hanging 
down  and  ears  lopped  over,  and  in  hot  weather  perspires  freely 
around  the  chest ;  the  eyes  have  a  glossy  appearance  and,  around 
the  inside  of  the  eyelids,  are  very  red.  As  the  disease  passes  on 
the  horse  breathes  heavier  and  sometimes  is  noticed  tc>  sigh,  as  it 
in  distress  ;  the  bowels  become  costive,  and  the  manure  has  a 
glossy  appearance;  placing  your  ear  to  the  side  of  the  chest  you 
will  hear  a  grating  sound  similar  to  that  produced  by  taking  some 
hair  of  your  head,  just  above  the  ear,  and  grating  it  between   the 


70  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

thumb  and  finger.  If  the  horse  is  loose  in  a  stall  he  will  work 
around  till  he  gets  his  head  to  a  door  or  window,  which  shows 
that  he  wants  fresh  air.  By  tapping  the  finger  on  the  chest  over 
the  lungs  it  will  produce  a  dull  sound,  which,  if  the  lungs  were  not 
affected,  should  give  more  of  a  hollow  sound.  If  the  disease  is 
going  to  terminate  fatally  the  pulse  runs  up  to  100  beats  per 
minute  and  is  so  weak  you  can  hardly  feel  it;  he  will  breathe  very 
heavy  ;  the  nostrils  make  a  flapping  noise,  and  his  flank  draws  in 
and  out  almost  like  a  heavy  horse  ;  the  appetite  is  entirely  gone  ; 
the  breath  smells  very  bad  ;  he  still  persists  in  standing,  and 
notices  nothing.  As  death  approaches  the  mouth  becomes  cold, 
the  pulse  cannot  be  felt ;  he  may,  near  the  last,  lie  down,  which 
will  cause  him  to  breathe  very  much  heavier  ;  he  again  staggers 
to  his  feet,  breaks  out  into  a  cold,  clammy  sweat  all  over  the  body, 
and  finally  staggers,  falls,  and  dies.  If  the  case,  on  the  other 
hand,  is  more  favorable,  the  animal  eats  a  little  and  notices  things 
around  him,  and  the  above  symptoms  gradually  disappear.  It 
generally  takes  from  9  to  12  days  to  run  its  course,  and,  as  a 
usual  thing,  is  treated  with  satisfaction  if  taken  in  time. 

Treatment. — Clothe  the  body  according  to  the  season  of  the 
year.      If  the  animal  aff'ected  is  in   high  condition  use  sedatives,. 

such  as 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 8  to  10  drops. 

Laudanum i  oz.  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every  three  hours 

until    the   distressing    symptoms    have   ceased    and    inflammation 

seems  pretty  well  checked.      If  the  animal  seems  weak  after  this 

give 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Whisky 1  wine  glass  full 

Mix  with  pint  of  new  milk  or  gruel  and  give  three  times  a  day, 

morning,  noon  and  night,  until  the  animal  seems  stronger.      After 

this,  when  the  animal   is  getting  better  and   he   needs   a   tonic  to 

build  up  his  system  and  to  keep  his  kidneys  in  good  action  so  as 

to  relieve  his  lungs  as  much  as  possible,  give 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day.      While 

the  animal  is  sick  feed  on  soft  food,  mixing  a  little  boiled  flax  seed 

with  it  to  keep  the  bowels  regular.      If  the  animal   is  very  thin   in 

condition    it  is  best  not  to  use  much  of  the  aconite  and  laudanum, 

but  commence  the  stimulants  sooner  than  if  the  horse  was  in  high 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  71 

condition.  Apply  mustard  to  the  sides  and  chest  and  also  cloths 
wrung-  out  of  hot  water,  and  be  sure  to  allow  the  horse  to  have 
plenty  of  fresh  air  by  having-  the  stable  well  ventilated,  but  do  not 
allow  any  draft  to  strike  him. 

PLEURISY. 

This  disease  is  inflam.mation  of  the  lining  found  inside  the 
ribs  and  over  tiie  lungs.  This  is  a  serious  disease  if  not  taken  in 
time  and  allowed  to  run  on. 

Causes  are  similar  to  those  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs, 
and  we  often  find  this  disease  and  inflammation  of  the  lungs 
coming  tog-ether.  The  chief  causes  are  exposure  to  cold,  standing 
in  a  draft,  washing  the  body  and  not  properly  drying  it,  injuries  to 
the  ribs  in  any  way. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  first  noticed  to  shiver,  the  pulse 
quick  and  strong — much  stronger  than  with  conges:^on  or  inflam- 
mation of  the  lungs- — and  is  sometimes  called  a  wiiy  pulse.  He 
seems  in  great  pain,  breaths  heavily,  which  is  noticed  very  much 
at  the  flanks.  At  the  commencement  of  the  disease  he  will  lie 
down,  but,  as  a  general  thing,  he  will  stand  up  most  of  the  time  ; 
if  you  make  him  cough  he  will  suppress  it  as  much  as  possible, 
and  instead  of  coughing  out  loud,  as  in  other  lung-  troubles,  it 
will  be  more  like  a  long,  heavy  groan.  The  idea  of  this  is  he 
tries  to  keep  from  moving  his  chest  as  much  as  he  can.  The  ears 
and  legs  are  cold,  but  sometimes  you  will  .Ind  one  ear  hot  and  the 
other  cold  ;  he  has  a  tucked  up  appearance-,  and  there  will  be  a 
hollow  line  right  along  the  bottom  of  the  false  ribs  and  up 
towards  the  point  of  the  hip  ;  if  you  press  on  his  sides  it  causes 
him  great  pain,  and  in  turning  him  around  short  he  will  groan 
with  pain.  If  this  disease  is  not  soon  checked  it  will  terminate  in 
what  is  known  as  hydrothorax,  which  means  a  filling  up  of  the 
chest  cavity  with  a  watery  fluid. 

Treatment. — This  disease  is  treated  very  much  similar  to  that 

of  inflammation    of  the   lungs.      Apply  cloths  wrung  out   of  hot 

water  to   the   sides   if  in    warm    weather,  but   if  in   cold    weather 

mustard  is  best  and  easiest  kept  on.      Clothe  the  body  well  and 

see  that  he  is  allowed  plenty  of  fresh  air  without    being  in  a  draft. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  disease,  if  the  horse  seems  to  be  in 

much  pain,  give 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 8  to  10  drops. 

Flu  d  Kxtrnct  of  Belladonna h  dram,  or  .30  drops. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum ^  oum.e,  or  2  tablespoonfula. 


72  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water  and  give  as  a  drench.      Continue 

the  above  drench  every  two  hours  until  the  horse  is  relieved  ot  the 

pain.      If  the  horse  seems  weak  after  this  g"ive 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Whifcky     1  wine  glass  full. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  gruel  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a 
day,  morning,  noon  and  night,  until  the  animal  begins  to  recover 
nicely,  then  use  the  following  medicine  to  keep  the  kidneys  work- 
ing freely,  as  this  will  have  a  tendency  to  keep  water  from 
forming  in  his  chest  : 

Saltpetre,  or  Nitrate  of  Potash ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^       '* 

Mix  well  and  give  a   teaspoonful   three  times  a  day.      During 

sickness  it  is  well  to  feed  the   animal  with  soft  foods,  with  a  little 

boiled  flax   seed   in   it   to   keep  the   bowels   free,  give   a  little  cold 

water  to  drink  in  small  quantities,  and  give  it  often — every  hour 

or  two. 

WATER  IN  THE  CHEST  (HYDROTHORAX). 

This  generally  follows  a  case  of  pleurisy.  In  some  cases 
you  will  find  several  pails  of  a  watery  fluid  around  the  lungs  in 
the  chest  cavity.  When  there  is  such  a  large  quantity  as  this  it 
generally  ends  fatally. 

Causes.-  Pleurisy. 

Symptoms. — After  the  pain  and  soreness  from  pleurisy  has 
passed  off  the  fluid  then  commences  to  collect  around  the  chest, 
which  causes  him  to  breathe  very  heavily,  the  nostrils  becoming 
large,  and  sometimes  make  a  flapping  noise.  He  breathes  quick, 
and  draws  in  and  out  at  at  the  flank  worse  than  he  does  in  a  bad 
case  of  heaves  ;  the  pulse  becomes  quicker  than  in  pleurisy,  and 
very  weak,  beating  from  75  to  100  beats  per  minute  ;  the  blood  in 
the  jugular  vein  seems  to  flow  back  towards  the  head  instead  of 
flowing  down,  causing  the  vein  to  move  every  time  he  breathes. 
By  putting  your  ear  to  the  chest  you  cannot  hear  anything  except 
above  the  water.  If  the  animal  is  loose  he  will  be  noticed  to  try 
to  get  to  the  door  or  window  to  get  the  pure  air.  In  some  cases  the 
animal  will  go  on  like  this  for  several  days,  not  eating  very 
much,  and  gradually  getting  worse.  Near  the  last  his  ears  and 
legs  get  very  cold,  and  all  the  other  symptoms  keep  getting  worse, 
and  the  animal  tries  to  stand  on  his  feet  to  the  very  last. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  will  take  food  give  him  good, 
strong  food,  such  as  oats  and  hay,  and   it  would  be  well  to  mix  a 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  73 

little  of  the  boiled  linseed  along  with   the  oats  to  keep  the  bowels 

regular  ;   keep    the    animal    quiet  ;    blister    the  sides   well   with  a 

strong  mustard  plaster  ;  give  him  of  the  following  • 

Saltpetre  ov  Nitrate  of  Potash '. ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      " 

Ground  Sulphite  of  Iron ^      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  him  a  teaspoonful  every  five 
hours.  It  is  also  recommended  in  some  works  to  puncture  near 
the  bottom  of  the  chest,  between  the  eighth  and  ninth  rib,  with  a 
small  trocar  and  cannula,  and  let  the  fluid  out  of  the  chest,  but  this 
operation  is  not  very  successful  in  the  horse,  and  we  would  not 
advise  it  to  be  done,  although  it  is  sometimes  successfully  per- 
formed in  human  beings. 

If  the  horse  dies  and  you  cut  into  the  chest  you  will  find  a 
great  quantity  of  the  fluid  collected  around  the  lungs,  in  some 
cases  as  much  as  three  pailfuls. 

BRONCHITIS. 

This  disease  is  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  bronchial 
tubes. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  sometimes  caused  by  driving  a  horse 
fast  when  he  is  in  a  weak  condition,  inhaling  smoke,  or  from  a 
sudden  change  in  the  temperature,  choking  from  food  passing 
down  the  windpipe,  and  sometimes  it  is  caused  from  giving  a 
drench  which,  instead  of  passing  down  into  the  stomach,  some  of 
it  goes  down  the  windpipe.  This  .disease  is  oftener  seen  in  the 
city  than  in  the  country. 

Symptoms  are  a  peculiar  dryness  of  the  throat,  increased 
breathing,  and  if  you  place  your  ear  to  the  windpipe,  you  will 
hear  a  wheezing  noise.  The  animal  seems  quite  dull,  and  does 
not  eat  as  well  as  he  should.  If  the  disease  is  allowed  to  run  on 
the  pulse  becomes  quick  and  weak,  and  the  legs  and  ears,  after  a 
time,  become  cold  ;  he  seems  very  much  depressed  and  weak,  and 
if  the  weather  is  warm  perspires  freely  around  the  chest  and 
flanks  ;  on  account  of  not  eating  very  much  he  will  become  very 
gaunt,  and  it  will  be  noticed  that  he  does  not  lie  down,  and  if  you 
make  him  stir  around  it  will  start  him  to  cough. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  is  in  good  condition  and  strong, 
give  the  following  mixture  : 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  to  8  drops. 

Laudanum      ^  ounce  or. 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Hweec  Spirits  of  Nitre I  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 


74  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water,  shake  well  and  give  as  a  drench. 
Give  a  drench  every  two  or  three  hours  until  he  seems  relieved. 
If  the  animal  is  very  weak,  instead  of  this,  it  is  best  to  give 

Whisky '. 1  wine  glass  full. 

Ale  or  Beer i  pint. 

Give  every  three  hours  until  he  seems  relieved,  then  proceed 
with  the  following  : 

Saltpetre  or  Nitrate  of  Potash i  pound. 

Tartar  Emetic i  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root i  round. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day. 
Feed  soft  feed  with  a  little  boiled  flax  seed  to  keep  the  bowels 
free,  give  cold  water  in  small  quantities,  but  often,  which  will 
have  a  good  effect  on  the  throat;  apply  mustard  or  hot  cloths 
wrung  out  of  hot  water  to  the  chest,  clothe  the  body  well,  accord- 
ing to  the  season  of  the  year,  and  see  that  the  animal  has  pure  air 
to  breathe  without  being  in  a  draft.  In  all  lung  diseases  be  care- 
ful in  drenching  so  as  not  to  choke  the  animal. 
BROKEN  WIND  OR  HEAVES. 

It  is  similar  to  asthma  in  man. 

Causes. — It  is  generally  seen  in  horses  that  are  ravenous  feeders 
and  overload  the  stomach  and  are  inclined  to  carry  a  large  belly. 
This  affects  the  stomach,  and  the  same  nerve  that  helps  to  supply 
the  stomach  with  nerve  power  also  helps  to  supply  the  lungs; 
this  is  how  we  account  for  it  affecting  the  lungs  when  the 
stomach  is  affected.  The  kinds  of  bod  that  are  apt  to  produce  it 
are  inferior  foods,  such  as  musty  hay  (clover  hay  being  the  worst), 
or  musty  oats,  or  it  may  be  caused  from  a  neglected  cold.  This 
disease  is  rarely  found  in  cavalry  horses  as  they  are  fed  on  the 
very  best  of  food. 

Symptoms. — This  disease  is  easily  detected  when  it  is  well 
established.  There  is  a  peculiar  way  of  breathing,  a  long 
inspiration  followed  by  a  short  expiration  and  a  jerking  motion  at 
the  flank  ;  the  nostrils  are  enlarged  and  the  muscles  of  the  belly 
come  into  play  greatly  in  this  disease.  On  a  damp,  hot,  sultry 
day  the  symptoms  are  greatly  increased,  and  may  become  very 
alarming,  and  you  might  be  led  to  think  that  the  animal  was 
suffering  from  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  but  when  you  examine 
the  pulse  you  will  find  it  beating  about  natural.  In  heaves 
there  is  a  loud,  hacking,  painful,  internal  cough  which  seems 
to    come   from   the   lungs  ;    this   is   noticed    more   after  eating   or 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  75 

drinking,  and  is  noticed  particularly  after  being  brought  out 
of  the  stable  in  the  morning,  but  after  working  a  while 
will  not  be  so  bad.  If  you  suspect  this  disease  when  you  are 
examining  him  for  soundness  give  him  a  good  feed,  a  pail  of 
water  and  a  good  gallop.  If  aflfected  with  this  disease  you  can 
then  notice  it  plainly.  In  some  cases  it  can  be  relieved  for  a  short 
time  by  giving  a  large  dose  of  Fleming's  tincture  of  aconite,  10 
to  15  drops  in  a  drench,  mixed  with  a  pint  of  raw  linseed 
oil.  This  is  sometimes  done  by  horse  traders  to  relieve 
the  animal  while  trading,  and  in  some  cases  they  even  pour  shot 
into  the  animal,  which  relieves  him  for  a  time. 

Treatment. — Where  heaves  once  get  well  established  it  is 
incurable,  but  it  can  be  helped  by  careful  feeding.  By  feeding 
him  regularly,  and  giving  him  lots  of  oats  to  eat  and  very  little 
hay,  so  as  to  keep  him  gaunt  ;  water  him  often — four  or  five  times 
a  day — not  more  than  a  pail  at  a  time,  and  never  allow  him  to  get 
a  large  feed  of  hay  or  a  large  drink  of  water  at  a  time.  The  best 
treatment  of  medicine  is  give  first  a  physic  of  from  8  to  10 
drams  of  bitter  aloes  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water,  with  a 
tablespoonful  of  ginger  and  soda  given  as  a  drench,  and  allow 
him  to  stand  in  the  stable  for  a  day.  This  will  clean  his  bowels  and 
stomach  out  ;  after  this  feed  him  carefully  and  give  of  the  follow- 
ing mixture : 

Ground  Gum  Camphor i  pound. 

Powdered  Nux  Vo:nica |        " 

Common    Soda i        " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre I        " 

Mix  well  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  his  feed, 
or  on  the  tongue  with  a  spoon. 

PLEURODYNIA. 

This  disease  is  a  rheumatic  condition  of  the  muscles  around 
the  chest.      This  is  not  a  very  common  disease. 

Causes. —  Exposure  to  cold  when  the  animal  is  recovering 
from  pleurisy  or  other  weakening  lung  diseases. 

Symptoms. — There  is  great  pain  and  difficulty  in  breathing 
and  shows  symptoms  somewhat  similar  to  pleurisy.  In  pressing 
on  the  sides  he  shows  even  more  pain  than  he  does  in  pleurisy, 
and  when  you  examine  his  pluse  you  will  find  that  they  are  about 
regular,  whereas  in  pleurisy  they  would  be  beating  quick  and  hard. 
By  putting  the  ear  to  the  animal's  side  you  cannot  hear  the  grating 
sound  heard  in  pleurisy. 


76  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  warm  weather,  or  in  a  warm  stable, 
wring  a  woolen  blanket  out  of  hot  water,  wrap  it  around  his  chest 
and  cover  up  with  a  dry  blanket  to  keep  the  heat  in.  This  blanket 
would  be  better  heated  up  by  wringing-  it  out  of  the  hot  water 
every  hour.  While  the  blanket  is  being  changed  rub  the  sides 
well  with  white  liniment.      Give  him 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

In  a  pint  of  cold  water  three  times  a  day,  morning,  noon  and 
night,  until  the  soreness  has  passed  off  pretty  well,  then  follow  up 
with  a  diuretic  to  act  on  the  kidneys. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root j       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  large  teaspoonful  three  times  a 
day  in  his  feed  or  on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon. 

SPASMS  OF  THE  DIAPHRAGM. 

This  disease  is  sometimes  called  Thumps  on  account  of  the 
peculiar  thumping  noise  the  animal  makes  in  breathing. 

Causes. — It  generally  results  from  an  animal  being  put  to 
very  severe  exertion,  such  as  in  running,  trotting,  heavy  drawing, 
or  any  thing  of  that  kind  too  soon  after  eating.  It  is  also  said  to 
be  caused  by  buckling  the  girth  of  a  saddle  too  tight.  This 
disease  is  more  liable  to  be  noticed  shortly  after  the  animal 
has   recovered  from    some    weakening  disease. 

Symptoms. — it  gives  rise  to  a  thumping  noise  which  is 
plainly  heard  by  listening  at  the  back  part  of  the  lungs.  In  most 
cases  you  can  hear  the  noise  while  standing  near  the  animal. 
This  disease  is  often  mistaken  for  palpitation  of  the  heart,  but  by 
examining  with  the  ear  along  the  side  you  will  find  that  the  noise 
made  is  too  far  back  to  be  affecting  the  heart,  and  you  would 
almost  think  by  the  peculiar  noise  made  that  some  person  was 
inside  tapping  with  a  hammer.  The  animal  has  difficulty  in 
breathing,  sweats  freely  and  seems  in  pain. 

Treatment. — In  an  ordinary  case  give  an  anti-spasmodic. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre  1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1       "  "  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

two    hours    until    the    animal    is    relieved  of  the  thumping  noise. 

If  warm  weather,  apply  a  woolen  blanket  wrung  out  of  hot  water 

to  the  chest,  with  a  dry  one  outside  of  it.      If  cold  weather  it  is 

better  to  apply  a  mustard    plaster  around    the   back   part  of   the 

chest  and  cover  the  body  well.      In  some  cases,  after  giving  a  few 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  77 

doses  of  the  above  mixture,   if  he  does  not  get  relief,  it  would  be 
well  to  give 

Spirits  Turpentine 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.  After  the  animal  is  getting  better 
feed  well  and  give  regular  exercise,  and  bring  the  animal  gradu- 
ally back  to  his  regular  work. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  DIAPHRAGM. 

This  is  rupture  of  the  curtain  which  separates  the  lungs  from 
the  bowels,  and  if  the  rupture  is  large  enough  to  let  the  bowels 
pass  through  in  on  the  lungs  and  heart  death  soon  relieves  the 
animal. 

Causes. — Pulling  a  heavy  load  up  a  steep  hill,  or  by  high 
jumping.  Sometimes  it  occurs  when  the  animal  is  suffering  from 
acute  indigestion,  when  the  stomach  is  full  of  gas,  and  in  getting 
up  and  down  sometimes  lies  down  a  little  too  heavy,  causing  a 
great  strain  on  the  curtain,  which  causes  it  to  become  ruptured. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  frothy  spume  comes  from  the  nostrils, 
breathes  very  heavy  and  quick,  breaks  out  in  sweat  over  the  body, 
the  pulse  runs  up  very  high — sometimes  as  high  as  100  beats  per 
minute — and  gets  very  weak,  the  animal  appears  as  though  it 
was  suffocating,  and  if  the  rupture  is  to  any  great  extent  the 
symptoms  gradually  get  worse,  the  legs  and  ears  get  cold,  when 
death  relieves  him. 

Treatment. — Not  much  can  be  done  in  this  case,  only  give 
Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench.  This  may  be 
given  once  in  a  while  just  to  relieve  the  pain. 


78  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER   III. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  MOUTH,  TEETH,  SALIV- 
ARY GLANDS  AND  GULLET. 

IRRITATION  OF  SHEDDING  THE  MILK  TEETH. 

This  trouble  is  generally  at  its  worst  when  the  horse  is 
between  three  and  four  years  old. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  seems  weak  at  work,  sweats  easily, 
his  hair  is  standing"  and  looks  rough,  he  does  not  feel  well 
and  he  gets  gaunt  and  thin,  his  bowels  get  costive  and  the  oats 
come  through  almost  whole. 

Treatment. — in  a  case  of  this  kind  always  examine  the  teeth — 

both  front    and    back — for    shells    or    caps,    and    if   there   is    any 

remove    them    with  a  pincers  or  forceps.      Give  a  mild  laxative, 

such  as 

Raw  Linseed  Oil h  pint 

in  a  drench.     After  this  feed  on  soft  food,  and  follow  up  with  the 

following  tonic  powders : 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^  pound. 

Ground  Sulphate  of  Iron |         " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day  in  his 

feed  or  on  his  tongue. 

LAMPAS. 

This  is  very  common  in  young  horses.  It  is  not  really  a 
disease  itself,  but  simply  an  irritation  of  the  gums  caused  by 
shedding  his  front  teeth. 

Symptoms. — This  swelling  is  found  in  the  gums  behind  the 
front  teeth  in  the  upper  part  of  the  mouth.  The  gum  looks  red, 
and  if  you  press  your  finger  on  it  it  seems  sore. 

Treatment. — Do  not  use  any  harsh  treatment  for,  after  the 
horse  gets  all  his  teeth  shed  and  his  new  ones  in,  the  swelling 
generally  disappears  of  its  own  accord.  It  is  well  sometimes  to 
take  a  sharp  knife  and  cut  the  gum  in  a  few  places,  which  relieves 
the  congestion  and  soreness,  then  rub  the  gums  a  couple  of  times 
a  day  with  alum  water — about  two  teaspoonfuls  of  alum  to  a  pint 
of  water.  Be  careful  in  cutting  the  gum  not  to  cut  back  of  the 
third  bar  or  ridge  in  the  roof  of  the  mouth,  for  there  is  danger  of 
cutting  the  large  artery  in  the  roof,  which,  if  cut,  will  bleed 
Freely.  If  by  accident  you  should  cut  this  artery,  the  way  to 
stop   it   is  :    Take  a  large  piece  of  cotton  batting,  place  it  in  the 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  jc 

root  of  the  mouth  over  the  cut  and  have  it  held  firmly  by  winding-  a 
bandagre  throug-h  the  mouth  and  over  the  nose,  tie  the  animal  up  so 
he  cannot  eat,  and  leave  the  bandage  on  for  twenty-four  hours, 
when  it  can  be  safely  taken  oflf. 

PARROT  MOUTH. 
This  is  not  a  disease,  but  simply  a  deformed  mouth,  where 
the  upper  jaw  is  long-er  than  the  lower  jaw,  and  the  teeth  in  the 
upper  jaw  projects  out  over  the  teeth  in  the  lower  jaw  which  g-ener- 
ally  get  very  long-.  It  is  always  well  to  examine  a  horse's  teeth 
before  buying  him  for  fear  of  his  having-  some  trouble  like  this. 
These  horses  should  never  be  turned  out  to  pasture  for  they  cannot 
graze  as  their  front  teeth  do  not  come  together.  But  in  some 
cases  they  make  very  good  work  horses  if  thev  are  kept  in  the 
stable  and  fed  on  hay  and  oats.  This  is  considered  an  unsound- 
ness in  horses. 

WOLF  TEETH. 
These  are  two  small  teeth  found  in  the  upper  jaw  in  front  of 
the  grinders,  one  on  each  side.  These  teeth  have  an  affect  on  the 
horse's  eyes,  causing  them  to  run  water  and  look  dull,  and,  in 
some  cases,  if  they  are  very  large,  will  interfere  with  the  animal's 
feeding. 

Treatment.— Sometimes    the    teeth    are    knocked   out  with   a 
punch,  but    they  are    best,  removed    by  putting  a  twitch    on   the 
horse's  nose  and  pulling  them  out  with  a  "forceps. 
SHARP  EDGES  ALONG  THE  TEETH. 

The  grinders  on  the  upper  jaw  are  wider  than  those  of  the 
under  jaw,  and  pointed  to  the  outside,  while  those  of  the  under 
jaw  are  narrower  than  those  of  the  upper  jaw  and  pointed  in 
towards  the  tongue.  You  will  notice  these  points  about  the  teeth 
by  opening  the  horse's  mouth  and  drawing  his  tongue  out  to  one 
side.  From  the  continual  grinding  the  outer  edges  of  the  upper 
teeth  become  sharp,  and  will  sometimes  cut  the  cheek,  while  those 
of  the  under  side  will  become  sharp  on  the  inside  and  cut  the 
tongue.  If  you  suspect  the  teeth  are  sharp  the  best  way  to 
examine  them  is  to  place  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose,  have  an 
assistant  to  hold  the  twitch,  and  hold  his  head  up  slightlv  while 
you  take  the  tongue  out  with  one  hand  and  hold  the^  cheek  out 
with  the  other,  then  look  back  and  see  if  the  cheek  or  tongue 
is  cut,  and  also  if  ilie  edges  of  the  teeth  are  very  sharp,  if  they 
arc,  the  horse's  mouth    needs  what   is   called   floating  or  filing  the 


80  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

teeth,  which  can  be  easily  done  by  leaving"  the  twitch  on  and  run- 
ning- a  float  or  tooth  rasp  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  upper  row  of 
teeth  and  the  inner  edge  of  the  lower  row  of  teeth.  It  is  not  best 
to  file  them  too  much,  just  enough  to  take  off  the  sharp  edge  of 
the  teeth  so  they  will  not  cut  the  tongue  and  cheeks,  for  if  vou  file 
them  too  much  the  horse  cannot  grind  his  hay  so  well. 

DECAYED  TEETH  (CARIES). 

You  do  not  find  decayed  teeth  so  often  in  the  horse  as  you  do 
in  the  human  being.  Horses  rarely,  if  ever,  suff'er  from  tooth 
ache. 

Causes. — it  generally  comes  from  biting  some  hard  substance 
and  either  breaking  or  cracking  the  tooth,  which  then  begins 
to  decay. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  in  eating  his  feed  will  be  noticed,  all 
of  a  sudden,  to  throw  his  food  out  of  his  mouth,  fumble  his  tongue 
around  a  little  and  then  commence  to  eat  again.  If  in  drinking 
sometimes  if  the  water  is  cold  it  takes  him  a  long  time  to  drink, 
having  to  stop  several  times  in  drinking  a  pailful.  In  driving  he 
is  noticed  to  hold  his  head  to  one  side,  favoring  the  side  that  has 
the  decayed  tooth  in  it.  His  breath  smells  bad,  and  he 
falls  off  in  condition.  If  the  tooth  is  in  the  upper  jaw,  and  the 
roots  affected,  there  is  sometimes  a  running  from  the  nostril  over 
the  tooth. 

Treatment. — Open  the  mouth  with  a  speculum  or  any  iron  that 

will  answer  the  purpose,  pass  the  hand  back  and  examine  the  teeth 

and  find  out  which  tooth  it  is.      Always  in  examining  the  mouth  it 

is  best  to  put  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose  as  it  assists  in  holding 

him  quiet.      When    you    are    sure  which    tooth    is    affected    take 

a  large    forceps    and    remove    the    tooth.      After  pulling  the  tooth 

out  keep  the  tooth   opposite   the   one   pulled   out   filed   down    so  it 

will    not     irritate     the     gum     on     the     opposite    jaw.      After    the 

tooth  has  been  removed  feed  on  soft  food  for  a  few  days  until  the 

gum  gets  healed   up.      If  the   horse   is   run  down    in   condition  it 

would  be  well  to   give  some   of   the    following  tonic  powders  to 

build  him  up: 

Ground  Gentian  Root J  pound. 

Ground  Sulphate  Iron ^        " 

Mix   thoroughly  and   give    a    teaspoonful   twice  a  day  in  his 

feed  or  on  his  tonguo 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  81 

SPLIT  TEETH. 

The  teeth  that  become  split  are  generally  the  molars  or 
grinders  on  the  upper  side  of  the  mouth,  though,  in  some  cases, 
it  might  occur  in  the  lower  jaw.  If  the  split  tooth  occurs  in  the 
under  jaw  the  split  part  is  generally  found  on  the  inside  of  the 
tooth  and  i*urned  in  against  the  tongue.  If  it  is  one  of  the 
grinders  on  the  upper  jaw  the  split  part  is  on  the  outside  and 
turns  out  and  cuts  the  cheek. 

Causes. — Generally  from  getting  some  hard  substance  into  the 
mouth  and  grinding  heavily  on  it,  such  as  a  nail  or  stone. 

.  Symptoms. — The  animal  can  scarcely  eat,  seems  very  much 
afraid  when  you  go  to  handle  his  mouth,  and  will  sometimes  jerk 
back.  If  you  run  your  hand  along  the  upper  jaw  on  the  outside 
where  the  tooth  is  split  and  turned  out  it  will  be  very  sore,  and 
the  animal  will  jerk  his  head  away  when  you  press  over  the  tooth. 
In  eating  he  is  noticed  to  fumble  his  food  around  in  his  mouth, 
and  after  having  it  in  a  few  minutes  he  will  throw  it  out  half 
chewed,  stop  a  few  minutes,  and  then  try  to  eat  some  again. 
Place  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose  and  proceed  to  examine  the 
mouth  by  drawing  the  tongue  out  with  one  hand  and  holding  the 
cheek  back  with  the  other  and  look  carefully  back  along  the 
grinders,  and  if  the  split  is  in  the  upper  side  of  the  jaw  you  will 
see  it  worked  out,  and,  in  some  cases,  stuck  into  the  cheek.  If 
the  split  tooth  is  in  the  under  jaw  you  will  find  the  split  part  stuck 
into  the  tongue. 

Treatment. — After  you  have  found  where  the  split  tooth  is,  it 
is  easily  treated  by  taking  hold  of  the  split  piece  with  the  forceps 
and  pulling  it  out,  which  is  not  hard  to  do  in  most  cases.  Then 
take  a  float  or  tooth  rasp  and  run  it  along  that  side,  and  if  there  is 
any  sharp  teeth  smooth  them  off.  If  the  horse  is  very  thin 
follow  up  with  tonic  powders. 

HANGING  THE  TONGUE  OUT  OF  THE  MOUTH. 

This  is  not  a  disease,  but  a  miserable  habit,  and  if  it  is  once 
formed  you  cannot  cure  it. 

Cause  is  generally  from  the  teeth  getting  sharp  and  cutting 
the  tongue,  or  from  some  injury  to  the  tongue. 

Symptoms. — At  the  first  start  of  this  habit  the  horse  just  holds 
the  end  of  the  tongue  between  his  teeth  while  he  is  at  his  work. 
After  a  time  it  becomes  worse,  and  while  the  bit  is  in  his  mouth 
the  horse  hangs  his  tongue  out  three  or  four  inches  on  either  side. 

—  H— 


82  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment. — Examine  the  mouth  as  to  the  state  of  the  teeth,  if 
they  are  found  sharp,  float  or  file  them  so  as  to  stop  them  from  cutting; 
the  tongue.  if  the  cause  is  a  soreness  on  the  tongue  dress  it 
with  alum  water — two  teaspoonfuls  of  alum  to  one  pint  of  water. 
This  will  generally  effect  a  cure  if  the  case  is  taken  in  time. 
There  are  certain  kinds  of  bits  recommended  for  this  habit,  but  as 
a  general  thing  they  prove  a  failure, 

CRIB  SUCKERS. 

This  is  where  a  horse  takes  hold  of  the  manger  or  anything 
around  him  and  sucks  wind. 

Causes. — Sometimes  a  colt  will  learn  this  habit  from  seeing 
its  mother  or  other  horses  doing  it.  It  is  also  caused  by  soreness 
of  the  front  teeth  at  first,  and  he  commences  biting  at  the  manger 
to  relieve  him,  when  afterwards  it  becomes  a  regular  habit. 

Symptoms. — in  examining  the  front  teeth  you  will  find  them 
worn  off  from  biting,  and  the  horse,  if  you  watch  him,  is  continu- 
ally hanging  on  to  the  manger.  In  some  cases  he  will  suck  him- 
self full  of  wind,  and  sometimes  will  take  severe  colic  from 
sucking  so  much,  while  in  other  cases  he  will  simply  hang  on 
to  the  manger  with  his  teeth. 

Treatment. — When  first  noticed  it  is  best  to  put  the  animal  in 
a  box  stall  and  feed  him  his  hay  ofi^  the  floor,  and  his  gram  in  a 
pail,  which  should  be  removed  as  soon  as  the  animal  is  through 
eating  so  he  has  nothing  to  take  hold  of  with  his  teeth.  Examine 
the  teeth  and  see  if  there  is  anything  wrong  with  them,  if  they  are 
sharp,  causing  soreness,  file  them  down,  or  if  it  is  a  milk  tooth 
not  properly  shed,  it  is  well  to  remove  it.  If  it  is  in  the  spring, 
and  the  grass  good,  he  will  sometimes  get  over  it  by  turning  him 
out  to  pasture.  If  the  animal  is  old  and  has  been  a  cribber  for 
some  time  the  best  thing  to  do  is  to  get  a  muzzle  for  him,  and 
only  leave  it  off  while  he  is  eating. 

FOREIGN  SUBSTANCES  IN  THE  MOUTH. 

Sometimes  we  find  a  piece  of  stick  caught  across  the  roof  of 
the  mouth,  which  will  be  noticed  by  the  animal  not  feeding  and 
he  will  be  continually  working  the  tongue  around  in  his  mouth, 
and  if  this  obstruction  be  not  removed  the  animal  will  fall  off  in 
flesh.  In  this  case  examine  the  mouth  well  and  remove  any  sub- 
stance found  caught  in  the  mouth  with  the  fingers  or  with  a  pincers. 

Barley  or  Wheat  Beards. — When  horses  are  fed  on  barley  or 
wheat  straw,  or  chaff  that  has  beards  in   it  the   mouth  should   be 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  Sr, 

examined  every  week  or  two,  for  in  a  great  many  cases  the  beards 
get  so  lodged  in  the  mouth  that  the  animal  cannot  remove  them 
with  his  tongue. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  does  not  feed  well,  his  breath  is  bad 
and  his  mouth  seems  sore  when  you  handle  it  ;  he  becomes  gaunt 
and  thin. 

Treatment. — In  all  cases  where  you  are  feeding  this  kind  ol 
food  examine  the  mouth  carefully,  and  if  you  find  any  beards 
remove  them  with  the  finger  and  wash  the  sore  place  with  alum 
water  twice  a  day  until  it  heals  up.  Use  two  teaspoonfuls  oi 
alum  to  a  pint  of  water. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  TONGUE. 

The  tongue  is  sometimes  injured  by  a  person  pulling"  too 
hard  on  it  when  it  is  drawn  out  of  the  mouth,  which  para's  zes 
the  tongue.  There  cannot  be  much  done  for  this,  only  give  very 
soft  foods,  which  he  can  almost  drink  down,  and  give  him  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  powdered  nux  vomica  three  times  a  day  on  his 
tongue  with  a  spoon.  The  tongue  is  often  injured  by  the 
horse  pulling  back  when  tied  by  the  bit.  In  some  cases 
the  tongue  is  almost  cut  off.  If  you  think  there  is  no  chance 
of  the  tongue  healing  it  is  best  to  remove  it  with  a  knife  and  apply 
Monsel's  solution  of  iron  to  stop  the  bleeding,  if  any.  Afterward 
bathe  the  tongue  with  a  little  alum  water  three  or  four  times  a  day 
for  a  few  days,  until  the  tongue  heals  up.  Use  one  teaspoonful  of 
alum  to  one  pint  of  water  ;  also  feed  the  horse  on  soft  food  for  a 
few  days,  while  the  tongue  is  healing.  If  the  tongue  is  not  cut 
enough  to  remove,  treat  it  same  as  treatment  after  removal. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TONGUE  (GLOSSITIS). 

This  is  not  a  very  common  disease. 

Causes. — It  is  sometimes  caused  by  handling  the  tongue 
rough,  by  pulling  too  hard  when  taking  it  out  of  the  mouth,  or  by 
giving  irritating  medicines  which  are  not  diluted  enough  with 
water;  by  eating  poisonous  grasses  and  sometimes  by  a  thorn  stick- 
ing in  the  tongue. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  flow  of  saliva  from  the  mouth  ;  the 
animal  cannot  chew  his  food  well,  and  there  is  difficulty  in 
swallowing  and  breathing,  the  tongue  gets  red  and  is  painful  when 
pressed  upon,  is  very  much  swollen,  and  in  some  cases  sticks  out 
of  the  mouth,  the  horse  seems  generally  feverish,  and  after  a  few 
days     there       will       be       seen     small       boils       forming      around 


84  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

the  tongue  which  have  matter  in    them,  the  lining  covering  the 

tongue  becomes  dry  and  cracked  in  several  places.      If  the  animal 

does  not  get  relief  he  cannot  eat  nor  drink,  and  will  soon   die  of 

starvation. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  thorn  or  any  foreign  substance,  remove 

it  and  give  a  dose   of  laxative  medicine,  such  as   one  pint  of  raw 

linseed  oil.     Bathe  and  gargle  the  tongue  with  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum  . . . , 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Pulverized  Alum 1  teaspoonf ul. 

Water 1  pint. 

Gargle  or  bathe   the  tongue  three  or  four  times  a  day,  and 

blister  him  in  the  space  under  the  jaws  with  a  mustard  plaster.      If 

the  tongue  is  swollen  very  much  it  is  well  to  lance  it   with  a  knife 

and  allow  the  watery  matter  to  escape,   also  open  the  little  boils 

that  have  matter  in  them  and  let  it  escape.      Feed  the  horse  soft 

food    with    lots    of  boiled    flax  seed  in    it,  as   it  has  a  soothing 

eflfect  on  the  tongue.     Follow  up  with  the  following  powder: 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur J       " 

Pulverized  Alum J       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  on  his  tongue  three  times 
a  day.  These  are  to  gargle  and  heal  the  tongue,  as  well  as  help 
the  animal  to  thrive. 

APHTH>«  OR  THRUSH. 

At  certain  times  this  is  a  very  common  disease. 

Causes. — Certain  kinds  of  food  will  cause  one  kind  of  aphthae, 
but  the  kind  we  usually  see  is  the  infectious  kind.  This  is  where 
the  disease  is  communicated  from  one  horse  to  another  through 
the  air,  from  stable  to  stable. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  usually  first  noticed  to  be  dull  and 
not  feeding  well,  has  a  slight  cough,  runs  down  in  condition, 
and  sweats  easily  when  he  is  working.  Upon  opening  his  mouth 
to  examine  it  you  will  find  a  lot  of  little  pimples,  like  small 
blisters,  all  over  the  tongue  and  the  insides  of  the  lips  and 
cheeks,  these  pimples  or  blisters  are  found  all  the  way  through 
the  lining  of  the  gullet,  stomach  and  intestines,  and  in  some  cases 
the  animal  gets  quite  feverish  and  unable  to  do  any  work. 

Treatment. — Give  a  half  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil  in  a  drench  to 
start  on.  This  will  loosen  up  the  bowels  and  help  to  carry  off  the 
disease,  A  tablespoonful  of  ginger  is  a  good  thing  to  give  with 
the  oil,  then  give  the  following  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  85 

Common   Soda i  pound. 

Sulphur i      " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^      " 

Mix  thorouo'hly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on  the 

tong-ue  with  a  spoon,  also  gargle  the  mouth  out  with  alum  water — 

two  teaspoonfuls  to  a  pint  of  water — with  a  sponge  three  times  a  day 

until  the  pimples  disappear.      While  he  has  the  sore  mouth  feed  on 

soft  food,  and  put  a  lot  of  boiled  flax  seed  in  the  feed  which  will 

keep  the  bowels  loose. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  LIPS  AND  CHEEKS. 

The  lips  and  cheeks  sometimes  become  bruised  and  cut  in 
various  ways.  If  the  skin  is  broken  to  any  extent  it  is  best  to 
stitch  it  up  with  a  needle  used  for  sewing  up  wounds,  but 
it  may  be  done  with  a  darning  needle.  In  sewing  use  carriage 
trimmer's  twine,  or  a  piece  of  white  wrapping  twine.  Put  a  stitch 
about  every  half  inch,  and  in  stitching  it  is  best  to  tie  a  separate 
knot  for  each  stitch,  then  bathe  with  warm  water  two  or  three 
times  a  day  and  apply,  after  bathing,  the  white  lotion.  In  sewing 
the  wound  it  is  best  to  place  a  twitch  on  the  animal's  nose  to  keep 
him  quiet.  If  the  skin  is  not  broken  bathe  and  apply  the  white 
otion  same  as  mentioned  above. 

PARALYSIS  OF  THE  LIPS  AND  CHEEKS. 

This  is  not  a  very  common  disease,  although  it  is  met  with 
occasionally. 

Ca.USes. — It  is  an  injury  to  the  nerves  which  supply  the  lips  and 
cheeks  with  motion.  For  instance,  it  is  done  sometimes  by  using 
a  heavy  poke  on  a  horse  in  the  pasture,  also  in  the  stable  by  hav- 
ing him  tied  with  a  heavy  halter,  or  any  other  kind  of  an  injury 
that  would  affect  the  nerve  will  produce  this  ;  cold  weather  will 
sometimes  bring  it  on. 

Symptoms. — It  is  first  noticed  that  the  animal  is  not  able  to 
use  his  lips  in  eating  or  drinking,  or  in  any  other  way,  and  they 
hang  flabby  and  loose,  and  in  most  of  cases  they  look  as  it 
swollen,  but  it  is  only  the  looseness  of  them  that  gives  them  that 
appearance.  When  the  horse  tries  to  drink  he  has  to  put  his  head 
deep  into  the  pail  so  that  the  water  covers  up  his  lips  and  nose, 
for  this  is  the  only  way  he  can  drink. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  horse's  strength  up  as  best  you  can  by 
feeding  soft  food  which  can  be  easily  chewed.  In  this  disease  it  is 
best  to  keep  the  animal  in  the  stable  and  give  him  the  following 
medicine  : 


86  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica i  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root i 

Mix  thoroughly    and  give  a  teaspoonful  three   times   a   day^ 

hand  rub  his  cheeks  three  times  a  day  and  apply  the  white  liniment 

after  each  rubbing.      This  disease  generally  takes  from  two  to  six 

weeks    to    recover    and    in    all    cases    remove    the    cause  of    the 

trouble. 


DISEASES  OF  THE  SALIVARY  GLANDS. 

SLAVERING  OR  FROTHING  AT  THE  MOUTH. 

Causes. — it  is  generally  caused  from  something  in  the  feed  that 
the  animal  is  eating,  or  a  heavy  dose  of  aconite  will  cause  it,  or  in 
fact  anything  that  will  stimulate  the  secretion  of  the  salivary 
glands. 

Symptoms. — A  continual  dripping  of  the  saliva  from  the  lips. 

Treatment. — Change  his  feed  and  wash   his  mouth  out  with 

alum  water  two  or  three  times   a  day — two  teaspoonfuls   to  a  pint 

of  water.      If  this  does  not  help  it  give  him  a  good  physic: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drarns. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  let  the  horse 
stand  in  the  stable  the  next  day.  This  will  generally  stop  the 
slavering. 

THICKENING  OF  THE  PAROTID  GLAND. 

This  is  usually  called  thick  glands. 

Causes. — Tight  reining,  or  sometimes  it  remains  thick  after  dis- 
temper, or  from  inflammation  of  the  gland. 

Symptoms. — A  heavy  thickening  behind  the  jaw  bone  and 
below  the  ear. 

Treatment. — Blistering  is   the   best  way   to  get  rid  of  this. 

Use  the  following  mixture  as  a  sweat  blister: 

Pulverized  Catharides,  or  Spanish  Fly .1  dram. 

Vaseline,  or  lar.l 1  oance. 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  there  will  be  enough  to  blister 

the  glands  on  both  sides  of  the  throat.      In  putting  this  on  always 

rub  it  in  well,   then  tie  his  head   up  so   he   cannot   rub   his    neck, 

leave  it   for   three   days,    then   grease   it  with  some  lard  and  keep 

;,'reasing  every  third  day  till  the   blister  is   off,  and  if  by  this  time 

the  swelling  has  not  gone  down  it  would  be  advisable  to  repeat 

the  blister. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  87 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  PAROTID  GLAND. 

This  is  the  salivary  gland  situated  below  the  ear  and  between 
the  back  part  s){  the  jaw  bone  and  the  neck. 

Causes. — Generally  from  a  bruise  of  some  kind. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  large,  painful  swelling  just  below  the 
ear,  on  the  affected  gland  of  either  side.  It  is  so  painful  the  horse 
can  hardly  eat  or  drink,  and  he  stands  with  his  head  poked  out. 

Treatment. — Give  it  lots  of  bathing  with  vinegar,  hot  water 
and  saltpetre;  after  bathing,  rub  dry,  and  rub  well  with  white  lini- 
ment, then  apply  a  poultice  of  boiled  turnips  and  bran,  or  linseed 
meal  and  bran,  about  half  and  half.  Change  the  poultice  three 
times  a  day,  and  bathe  and  rub  with  liniment  each  time  the 
poultice  is  changed.  This  will  check  it  and  drive  it  away.  If  it 
does  not  check  the  inflammation  the  gland  will  fester,  form  matter 
and  come  to  a  head.  It  is  well  to  let  it  come  pretty  well  to  a  head 
before  attempting  to  open  it.  The  way  to  tell  when  it  is  ready  ta 
lance  or  open  is,  you  find  a  soft  spot  where  the  hair  generally  falls 
out,  and  when  you  press  your  finger  on  the  spot  and  take  it 
off  the  matter  presses  the  skin  back  to  its  place  quickly.  You  can 
easily  tell  when  it  is  fit  to  let.  Take  your  knife  or  lance  and  give 
the  skin  over  the  soft  spot  a  little  nick,  which  may  be  done  with- 
out any  danger  of  bleeding.  After  this  is  done  press  the  matter 
all  out  and  keep  on  bathing  and  poulticing  till  the  swelling  has 
entirely  gone  down.  After  it  is  healed  up,  and  if  the  gland 
remains  a  little  thick,  blister  with  the  following  : 

Cantharides,  or  Spanish  Fly 1  dram. 

Vaseline  or  lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  apply  one  half  of  the  mixture, 
tub  it  well  and  tie  the  horse's  head  up  so  he  cannot  rub  it,  leave 
till  the  third  day,  then  grease  with  some  lard,  and  keep  on  greas- 
ing for  a  few  days  until  the  blister  gets  healed  up,  then  take  some 
warm  water  and  soap  and  wash  the  grease  off  and,  after  drying,  use 
the  other  half  of  the  blister  same  as  first  half.  During  the  time 
the  animal  is  sick  with  this,  feed  and  water  him  from  a  high 
manger  On  account  of  his  throat  being  so  sore  feed  him  mostly 
soft  feed  which  would  be  easily  swallowed.  Give  him  the  follow- 
ing powder  for  a  tonic  and  diuretic  to  act  on  the  kidneys: 

Nitrate  of  Potash,  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root J       «' 

Mix  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  in  his  feed 
or  on  his  tongue. 


88  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

PARALYSIS  OF  THE  GULLET  OR  PHARYNX. 

This  is  a  very  serious  disease,  for  the  animal  cannot  swallow 
neither  food  or  water,  but  fortunately  it  is  not  often  met  with  in  the 
horse. 

Causes. — It  is  g-enerally  cause'    by  some  injury  to  the  throat. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  take  food  into  his  mouth,  chew 
it  and  prepare  it  for  swallowing,  and  then  spit  it  out,  not  making 
any  effort  to  swallow;  he  will  try  to  drink,  but  cannot  make  any 
effort  to  swallow  it.  If  you  examine  the  throat  you  cannot  see 
anything  wrong  ;  no  swelling,  and  it  does  not  seem  the  least  bit 
sore  ;  the  horse  seems  eager  to  eat  and  drink,  but  cannot ;  he  falls 
off  greatly  in  condition,  gets  very  weak  and  will  soon  die  from 
astrvation. 

Treatment. — -if  he  is  a  very  valuable  animal  and  worth  going 
to  the  expense,  treat  him  with  a  stomach  pump  by  taking 
the  juice  got  by  boiling  hay  and  making  gruels  made  out  of 
chopped  oats,  new  milk  and  eggs  and  pumping  it  down  into  the 
stomach  ;  in  this  way  he  is  kept  alive  until  the  muscles  of  the 
gullet  have  regained  their  strength  of  swallowing.  In  giving  the 
gruels  put  teaspoonful  of  nux  vomica  in  it  three  times  a  day. 
This  is  a  nerve  stimulant,  and  will  help  the  muscles  to  regain  their 
strength  ;  also  hand  rub  the  throat  well  around  the  gullet  and 
apply  white  liniment  five  or  six  times  a  day  until  the  animal 
regains  the  power  of  swallowing. 

CHOKING  WITH  OATS. 

This  is  generally  found  in  old  horses  that  are  very  greedy 
feeders  and  not  used  to  getting  oats. 

Causes. — Are  generally  where  a  horse  has  been  out  at  pasture 
and  brought  in  and  given  a  feed  of  oats  and  he  goes  at  it  ao 
greedy  he  fills  his  mouth  and  tries  to  swallow  it  without  chewing 
it  properly. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  noticed  not  to  be  eating  his  oats, 
and  if  you  examine  there  is  very  little  of  the  oats  gone  out  of  the 
box  and  the  horse  is  slobbering  at  the  mouth  and  coughing,  and  if 
you  watch  him  for  a  few  minutes  he  will  be  noticed  to  gag  and 
and  draw  the  muscles  of  the  neck  stiff  and  bend  the  neck  down  as 
if  he  was  trying  to  force  it  up  out  of  his  throat,  then  he  will  take  a 
violent  fit  of  coughing  for  a  few  minutes,  and  in  some  cases  he 
will  throw  out  a  frothy  substance  probably  mixed  with  a  few  oats. 
He  will  keep  on  doing  this  until  he  gets  relief 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  89 

Treatment. — In  some  cases  by  drenching-  him  with  raw  lin- 
seed oil  the  oil  will  work  around  the  oats  and  make  it  slippery  and 
he  will  be  able  to  cough  it  out  or  swallow  it  down.  It  is  also  well 
to  hand  rub  him  along  the  neck,  which  will  sometimes  help  to 
start  the  oats  down  to  the  stomach.  He  generally  gets  entirely 
over  it  in  a  few  hours.  After  a  few  hours,  if  he  has  not  got  relief, 
it  is  then  best  to  put  a  twitch  on  his  nose,  put  a  gag  in  his  mouth, 
and  pass  a  probang  down  his  throat  (the  probang  is  a  long  tube 
used  for  relieving  horses  and  cattle  in  choking)  ;  relieve  him  with- 
out using  the  probang  if  you  can.  It  is  advisable,  after  bringing 
a  horse  from  pasture,  when  giving  him  his  first  feed  of  oats,  to 
dampen  it  with  water,  as  he  is  not  so  apt  to  choke  when  the  oats 
are  damp.  After  a  horse  has  once  choked  he  is  more  liable  to 
choke  again,  and  to  prevent  this,  scatter  his  oats  well,  and  have  a 
few  large,  round  stones  put  in  the  feed  box  so  he  cannot  get 
a  large  mouthful  at  a  time.  It  is  very  seldom  a  horse  will  choke 
on  any  kind  of  fruit  or  vegetables,  such  as  apples,  potatoes  and 
carrots,  but  if  he  does,  use  the  above  treatment. 

DILITATION  OR  ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  (ESOPHAGUS. 

The  Oesophagus  is  the  name  of  the  tube  which  carries  the 
food  from  the  gullet  to  the  stomach, 

Causes. — From  choking  which  causes  the  tube  to  become 
enlarged,  forming  a  pouch  or  sack  where  the  food  often  becomes 
lodged  and  causes  symptoms  of  choking. 

Symptoms. — -This  enlargement  can  be  seen  if  in  the  neck 
region. 

Treatment. — it  can  sometimes  be  relieved  by  rubbing  on  the 
enlargement  with  the  hand,  which  causes  the  food  to  pass  down 
into  the  stomach,  thus  relieving  him.  It  also  can  be  '^"'lieved  by 
drenching  with  raw  linseed  oil. 

SWELLING  AROUND  THE  HEAD  AND  THROAT. 

This  swelling  is  noticed  around  the  horse's  head  and  throat 
just  after  he  has  been  turned  out  to  pasture  for  a  few  days,  and 
looks  very  alarming  when  first  noticed. 

Causes.  —  it  is  caused  by  an  increased  flow  of  blood  to  the 
head  when  the  animal  has  his  head  to  the  ground  and  not  being 
used  to  it. 

Symptoms. — It  is  loose  swelling  around  the  jaws  and  throat 
of  the  horse.  When  you  examine  it,  it  is  not  at  all  painful,  and 
the    animal    seems    perfectly  healthy    in   every  other   way.      If  the 


90  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

animal  is  brought  in  for  a  night,  and   is  fed  where  he  will  hold  up 

his  head,  the    swelling-   will    all    disappear    and   will    be  all    right 

in  the  morning. 

Treatment. — In  some  cases  he  does  not  need  any  treatment  at 

all,  but  if  the  animal's  blood  seems  very  bad  it  would  be  well  to 

give  him  a  few  doses  of  the  following  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Sulphur ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  tablespoonful  in  a  little  grain 
night  and  morning. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

DISEASES  OF  STOMACH  AND  BOWELS. 

The  stomach  of  the  horse  is  very  small  in  proportion  to  that 
of  other  animals,  and  digestion  takes  place  very  quickly. 

ACUTE  INDIGESTION. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  common  diseases  of  the  horse. 

Causes. — ^If  the  horse  is  not  used  to  being  fed  very  heavy,  and 
he  gets  a  large  feed  of  rich  food,  such  as  bran,  oats  or  hay,  it  is 
apt  to  set  up  the  disease;  or  eating  wheat  may  bring  on  a  bad  case 
of  it;  it  is  sometimes  caused  by  a  horse  being  put  to  work  too  soon 
after  a  large  meal.  A  change  in  the  food  will  cause  it,  or  even  a 
change  of  work,  such  as  a  horse  being  used  to  the  farm  and  then 
put  on  the  road  driving.  When  a  horse  is  turned  in  on  a  field  of 
clover,  after  a  rain  or  frost,  it  is  apt  to  bring  on  a  bad  case  oi 
indigestion. 

Symptoms. — We  will  take  a  case  as  we  often  see  it  on  a 
farm.  The  farmer  intends  to  take  a  journey  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles,  and  the  night  before  he  gives  the  horse  an  extra  good  feed, 
and,  if  he  is  used  to  feeding  on  cut  feed  he  will  probably  change 
the  food  to  hay.  The  next  morning  he  is  up  early  and  gives  the 
horse  another  good  feed  before  starting  on  hjs  journey,  The 
horse  starts  off  lively,  but  after  a  few  miles  he  becomes  dull, 
sweats  freely  around  the  belly  and  chest,  and  is  noticed  to  pass 
manure  in  small  quantities,  and  in  some  cases  he  will  even 
scour  ;  if  he  is  stopped  he  shows  signs  of  cramps  or  pains  in  his 
belly,  and  attempts  to  lie  down,  he  looks  around  at  his  side,  and 
when  you  examine  him  he  is  slightly  bloated  ;  as  he  is  driven  on, 
he    becomes    duller    and    more    bloated,    but    finally    reaches    his 


DISEASES  AND  TBEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  91 

journey's  end,  and  you  can  hardly  unhitch  him  from  the  rig-,  he  is 
in  such  pain.  As  soon  as  he  is  taken  into  the  stable  he  shows 
violent  symptoms  by  laying  down  and  trying-  to  roll  on  his  back, 
then  he  will  jump  to  his  feet,  look  at  his  flank,  and  again  lie 
down,  and  sometimes  he  is  noticed  to  paw  first  with  one  foot  then 
the  other,  and  keeps  on  repeating  these  symptoms  until  he  gets 
relief  ;  he  perspires  freely  all  over  the  body  from  the  pain  ;  tapping 
with  your  finger  on  his  side  it  will  produce  a  drum-like  sound, 
showing  that  there  is  gas  there.  If  you  sound  the  stomach  and 
bowels  with  the  ear  you  will  not  hear  much  noise,  any  more  than 
the  tinkling  of  gas.  He  is  noticed  to  pass  gas  per  anus,  which  is 
a  good  sign.  The  heat  of  the  body,  the  legs  and  ears  are  about 
natural.  This  is  a  good  point  to  note,  for  in  inflammation  of  the 
stomach  or  bowels,  the  legs  and  ears  are  always  cold  and  clammy, 
his  pulse  beats  from  50  to  75  beats  per  minute,  and  beating  mod- 
erately strong,  whereas  if  there  was  inflammation  it  would  be 
beating  very  strong  and  wiry  ;  he  is  also  noticed  to  breathe  heavy 
and  quick,  which  is  caused  from  the  stomach  being  so  distended 
with  gas  that  it  presses  heavy  on  the  lungs.  By  placing  your  ear  to 
the  bottom  part  of  his  neck  you  will  hear  him  belching  wind.  This 
disease  generally  takes  from  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours  to  run 
its  course.  In  some  cases,  where  the  disease  is  not  so  bad  as  the 
one  mentioned,  the  symptoms  will  not  be  so  distressing,  he  will 
be  noticed  to  leave  his  feed  and  commence  pawing,  then  lie  down 
quiet,  probably  for  a  few  minutes,  then  get  upon  his  feet  again, 
take  a  few  bites  of  feed,  paw,  and  lie  down  again.  In  some  cases 
he  will  seem  easy  for  a  few  minutes,  when  the  pain  comes  on 
again.  If  you  examine  his  bowels  you  will  hear  them  working 
pretty  well,  but  will  hear  gas  passing  through  them.  The  pulse 
will  not  be  changed  much,  probably  5  or  10  beats  faster  than  they 
should  be,  and  the  heat  of  the  body,  and  of  the  ears  and  legs  will 
be  about  natural.  In  a  case  of  this  kind,  if  the  animal  does  not 
get  relief  he  will  probably  show  these  symptoms  for  days,  or  even 
a  week,  before  the  symptoms  will  get  worse.  It  is  not  well  to 
allow  the  animal  to  suff"er  too  long  if  he  does  not  get  relief 
himself. 

Treatment. — This  disease  is  found  more  in  heavy  horses  than 
in  light,  and  also  is  more  fatal  in  the  heavy  horse.  In  some  cases, 
where  the  animal  does  not  get  relief  in  this  disease,  it  will  termin- 
ate in  rupture  of  the  stomach,  or  inflammation.      If  you  are  driving 


92  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

or  working-  the  animal,  the  first  thing  to  be  done  is  to  stop 
working  him  and  get  him  to  the  stable  as  soon  as  possible 
and  treat  him  as  soon  as  you  can.      Give  him  the  following  : 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  ounce  or    4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1        ''  4  " 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Mix,  shake  well  and  give  as  a  drench.  Give  an  injection  of 
half  a  pail  of  luke-warm  water  and  a  little  soap,  with  a  teaspoon- 
ful  of  turpentine  in  it.  Have  his  belly  well  hand  rubbed  and 
apply  a  mustard  plaster.  Half  pound  of  mustard,  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  flour  and  enough  vinegar  to  make  it  into  a  paste, 
apply  this  well  over  the  stomach — also  clothe  the  body  according 
to  the  season  of  the  year,  and  do  not  allow  the  animal  anything  to 
eat  till  he  gets  relief,  for  it  will  only  make  him  worse.  In  bad 
cases  it  is  best  to  have  some  person  stay  with  the  animal  to  keep 
him  from  hurting  himself  in  rolling  about  ;  also  keep  the  animal 
quiet  as  you  can,  and  never,  in  any  case,  run  him  or  keep  him 
walking  aroiind  the  yard,  for  it  is  best  to  keep  him  quiet  as  you 
can.  If  he  does  not  get  relief  from  the  above  dose  in  an  hour 
and  a  half,  give  him  the  following: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 2  ounces  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf ul. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water,  shake  well  and  give 
as  a  drench.  If  he  does  not  get  relief  in  two  hours  after  this 
drench,  follow  up  every  two  hours  by  drenching  with  the 
following  . 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 
two  hours.  Also  give  an  injection  every  couple  of  hours,  and 
have  the  belly  and  legs  well  hand  rubbed. 

In  severe  cases  take  a  half  pail  of  salt,  heat  well  and  put  in  a 
grain  bag,  tie  half  way  down,  and  place  it  over  the  small  of  his 
back,  then  cover  him  up  with  a  blanket  to  keep  the  heat  in  ;  keep 
this  changed  by  more  hot  salt  every  hour  for  heat  is  a  good  thing 
to  keep  down  the  pain  and  keep  inflammation  from  setting  in. 

In  a  case  where  the  horse  is  only  slightly  affected,  take  him 
from  work  and  give  him  the  following: 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE ''HORSE.  93 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  and 
follow  up  with  the  following  drench : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  warm  water  and  give  as   a  drench  every 

four  hours   until   the   animal   is   relieved.      Blanket   him   well   and 

allow  him  to  stand  in  the  stable  for  a  few  days,   till  the  physic  is 

worked  off.      In   all  cases,    when    he    is  recovering,   feed  on  soft 

food,  such  as  bran  mashes,  and  give  him  all  the  luke  warm  water 

he  will  drink.      In  all  cases  of  stomach  trouble,  warm  the  drinking 

water,  as  it  has  a  good  effect  on  the  stomach.      In  severe  cases, 

where  the  animal  is  going  to  die,   and  the  treatment  does  not  do 

him     any    good,     he    gradually   keeps   getting   worse,    begins   to 

bloat  very  bad   and   breathe   very  heavy,    and   his   ears   begin   to 

droop  over.      If   you    examine    the    pulse,    it  is  up  to  90  or  100 

beats  per  minute,    and  you  can  hardly  feel  it.      The  animal  does 

not  lie  down  so  much,  but  walks  around  his  box,   trembling  very 

much  all  over  the  body ;  his  legs,  ears  and  nose  gradually  become 

cold  as  death  approaches,  also  the  inside  of  his  mouth  is   cold  and 

clammy,  and  he  will  be  noticed  to   strain,    as   if  wanting   to   pass 

something,    but  nothing   comes;  he  finally  will  stagger,   fall  and 

die.      All  through  this  disease,  the  animal  will  be  noticed  to  make 

water  in  small  quantities,  but  often.      You  must  not  be  misled  by 

this  symptom,   for  it   is  caused    from    the    swollen    stomach    and 

bowels  pressing  on  the  bladder.      The  above  disease  is   one  which 

should  be  well  studied,  for  it  is  met  with  so  often  in  the  horse. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  STOMACH. 

This  disease  is  generally  caused  during  the  time  the  animal  is 
suffering  from  acute  indigestion. 

Causes. — A  horse  suffering  from  acute  indigestion,  will,  from 
the  pain,  sometimes  throw  himself  down  on  his  side,  and  the 
stomach  being  so  distended  or  .swollen  with  gas  will  cause  it  to 
become  ruptured. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  ./'A  be  noticed  all  at  once  to  become 
very  bad — much  worse  than  before — the  pulse  will  get  very  quick 
and  weak,  he  will  perspire  all  over  the  body,  and  in  a  very  short 
time  will  show  symptoms  of  approaching  death  by  his  bowels  and 


94  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

stomach  becoming  very  much  swollen,  his  leg"s,  ears  and  nose 
will  beg-in  to  get  cold,  which  indicates  approaching-  death,  and  the 
animal  g-enerally  dies  very  quickly. 

Treatment. — There  is  no  treatment  that  will  give  him  relief, 
but  it  is  best  to  g^ive  the  animal  an  ounce  of  tincture  of 
laudanum  to  relieve  his  pain  till  he  dies. 

CHRONIC  INDIGESTION. 

This  disease  is  sometimes  called  dyspepsia.  This  is  quite  a 
common  disease  among-  horses,  especially  about  the  time  they  are 
shedding-  their  teeth. 

Causes. — It  may  result  from  a  disordered  state  of  the  bowels 
or  liver,  or  from  a  young  horse  while  shedding  his  teeth,  not  chew- 
ing his  food  properly,  from  being  very  high  fed,  from  feeding 
dusty  clover  hay,  and  from  irregular  feeding  and  watering. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  of  this  case  is  not  alarming,  the 
horse  gradually  falls  off  in  condition  and  gets  weak,  sweats  very 
easily  while  at  work,  his  coat  is  dry  and  dusty,  and  he  does  not 
seem  to  have  any  ambition,  his  manure  is  of  a  dark  clay  color,  he 
is  sometimes  attacked  with  little  fits  of  colic  or  pains  in  the 
bowels,  and  he  is  noticed  to  be  licking  the  walls  and  manger  and 
seems  to  have  a  craving  appetite. 

Treatment. — Give  him  a  change  in  feed  and  a  dose  of  physic 
consisting  of  the  following : 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  allow 

the  animal  to  stand  in  his  stall  in  the  stable  until  the  physic  passes 

off  ;  feed  on  soft  food  and  follow  up  with  the  following  mixture  as 

a  tonic  for  him  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^  pound. 

Common  Soda ^      " 

Ginger ^      *' 

Sulphate  of  Iron |      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in 

his  feed  or  on  his  tongue  with   a  spoon.      This  will  build  him  up 

and  start  him  to  gain. 

BOTS. 

These  are  found  clinging  to  the  inside  of  the  stomach  of  the 
horse,  and  we  have  rarely  ever  exammed  a  horse's  stomach  but 
what  we  found  some  in  it.  In  some  cases  they  are  ionvd  in  \'^f^^ 
numbers,  and  in  these  cases  they  injure  the  ani.=fj;^.f 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  95 

Causes. — Bots  are  caused  by  the  bot-fly  stinging  and  laying 
Its  eggs  under  the  horse's  head,  neck  and  legs.  These  flies,  while 
they  are  laying  their  eggs  on  the  horse,  seem  to  annoy  him  very 
much,  and  he  will  be  seen  to  jerk  his  head  as  if  they  had  stung 
him.  These  little  eggs  are  taken  into  the  horse's  mouth  by  him 
biting  and  rubbing  his  legs  with  his  mouth  in  the  fall  of  the  year. 
They  pass  from  the  mouth  down  into  the  stomach,  where  they 
lodge  for  the  winter  by  hanging  on  to  the  lining  membrane  of  the 
stomach  and  develop  and  grow  until  spring  comes,  when  they 
will  let  go  their  hold,  pass  through  the  bowels  and  out  with  the 
manure,  where  they  soon  become  developed  into  a  regular  bot-fly, 
and  fly  off^  to  bother  the  horse  during  the  summer.  This  is  the 
way  they  reproduce. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  be  noticed  not  to  be  doing  well, 
and  has  a  ravenous  appetite,  but  the  feed  does  not  seem  to  do 
him  much  good.  He  will  also  be  noticed  to  hold  his  head  up  and 
be  moving  and  twisting  his  upper  lip. 

Treatment. — Give  him  the  following  mixture  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Shake  well  and  give  as  a  drench.      Give  this  drench  once  a 

week  until  the  animal  seems  reliev^ed,  allowing  him  to  stand  a  day 

after  each  drench ;  also  give  him  a  teaspoonful  of  ground  sulphate 

of  iron  in  his  feed  twice  a  day. 


DISEASES  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

SPASMODIC  COLIC. 

This  is  a  spasmodic  contraction  of  the  muscular  fibres  of  the 
coats  of  the  •  bowels,  or  in  other  words,  cramps  of  the  bowels. 
The  small  bowels  are  the  ones  usually  affected,  but  the  large  ones 
might,  too,  be  aff"ected. 

Causes. — The  principal  cause  is  a  change  of  food,  such  as 
giving  a  feed  of  roots  when  the  animal  is  not  used  to  it,  and 
especially  when  frozen,  or  a  cold  drink  of  water  when  the  animal 
is  hot.  Sometimes  it  comes  on  after  giving  the  horse  a  physic. 
A  sudden  change  in  the  weather'  will  sometimes  bring  it  on. 
Some  horses  become,  as  it  were,  subjected  to  this  disease,  more 
especially  if  the  stomach  is  not  digesting  the  food  properly.  Al- 
though this  disease  is  very  painful   while   it   lasts,    it   is   not   very 


THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

il,  and  usually  passes  off  quickly.  If  not  attended  to,  the  chief 
dang-er  is,  that  it  will  set  up  inflammation,  which  then  becomes 
very  serious. 

Symptoms. — The  attack  comt.^  on  very  quickly,  in  some 
cases  the  horse  will  beg-in  to  paw,  cringe,  look  at  his  side,  and 
throw  himself  to  the  ground  as  if  in  great  pain,  will  roll  around 
and  try  to  balance  himself  on  his  back.  If  the  weather  is  hot,  he 
will  sweat  very  much.  He  may  lie  quiet  for  a  few  minutes,  get 
up,  and  may  appear  all  right,  may  eat  some,  then  the  pain  will 
come  on  again,  and  act  in  the  same  manner.  He  will  generally 
pass  manure  in  small  quantities,  and  also  make  his  water,  which 
is  a  good- sign.  On  putting  your  ear  to  his  side,  the  bowels  will 
be  working  just  about  natural,  except  when  severe  pain  comes  on. 
The  pulse,  when  he  is  at  ease,  is  about  natural,  but  when  in  pain, 
it  beats  very  much  faster,  probably  60  or  65  beats  per  minute, 
while  in  inflammation  the  pulse  gradually  goes  up  and  stays  up  all 
the  time.  If  you  press  on  his  bowels  it  seems  to  relieve  him  in 
colic,  while  in  inflammation  it  gives  him  more  pain.  As  a 
general  thing  it  does  not  last  very  long,  probably  two  or  three 
hours,  although,  in  some  cases,  we  have  seen  it  last  as  long  as 
ten  or  twelve  hours,  but  the  symptoms  in  that  case  would  not  be 
so  severe. 

Treatment. — A  student  was  once  asked  at  a  certain 
veterinary  college,  what  he  would  do  if  he  were  sent  for  in  a 
case  of  this  kind.  He  said  "he  would  go  as  fast  as  he  could  for 
fear  the  case  would  be  all  over  before  he  got  there." 

The  favorite  remedy  for  colic  is : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonf uls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1         '♦         4  " 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.    Also 

another  good  remedy  is: 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.     Another  good  remedy  is: 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Whisky 1  wineglassful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  or  beer  and  give  as  a  drench. 
In  cases  of  this  kind  it  is  best  to  have  some  person  stay  with  the 
animal  for  fear  he  would  get  cast  on  his  back  or  hurt  himself. 
In  severe  cases  have  the  belly  well  hand  rubbed,  and  have  cloths 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  97 

wrung-  out  of  hot  water  applied  to  the  belly,  or  you  may  find  good 

results  from  a  mustard   plaster  applied  over  the  bowels.      Any  of 

the  above  drenches,  except  the  oil   and  turpentine,   may  be  given 

every  hour  until  the  animal  gets  relief.      After   the  animal  has  got 

over  the    pain,    to    get    rid    of  the     irritation    in    the    bowels,    or 

whatever  has  caused  it,  give  a  dose  of  physic  consisting  of: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespcosiful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

In   each  of   the    drenches    mentioned   it   is    well   to   put   in   a 

tablespoonful  of  ginger  and  common  soda. 

WIND  OR  FLATULENT  COLIC. 

This  and  acute  indigestion  are  a  great  deal  the  same.  The 
stomach  is  generally  affected  in  this  disease  as  well  as  in 
indigestion. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  caused  from  a  derangement  of  the 
digestive  organs,  and  the  food  in  the  bowels  forms  gas  which  fills 
the  bowels  and  causes  extreme  pain  while  it  lasts ;  but  in  the 
majority  of  cases  it  is  caused  from  a  change  of  some  kind  in  the 
food,  and  is  also  found  chiefly  in  aged  horses. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  of  this  disease  resemble  acute 
indigestion  somewhat,  only  that  the  g^s  is  formed  in  the  large 
bowels  instead  of  the  stomach.  The  animal  lays  down  and  rolls, 
the  belly  becomes  bloated  with  gas,  and  if  you  notice  there  will 
be  no  belching  of  wind  from  the  stomach  as  there  is  in  acute 
indigestion. 

Treatment. — Give    injections   freely   of  one-half  pail   of  luke 

warm  water,  a  little    soap  and  a  tablespoonful  of  turpentine,  and 

for  a  drench  give: 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1^  ounces  or  6  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1         "  4  '* 

Raw  lioseed  Oil 1    pint. 

Common   Soda 1    tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Shake  well  together  and  give  as  a  drench,  and  follow  up  with 

the  following  drench : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common    Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  every  hour  until  the 

horse  gets  relief.      It  is  best  in  this  case  to  have  someone  to  stop 

with  the  animal  to  keep  him  from  hurting  himself  or  from  getting 


98  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

cast.  Hand-rub  tlie  belly  well,  and  in  severe  cases  apply  a 
mustard  plaster  to  the  bowels,  and  also  have  one-half  pail  of  hot 
salt  ii  a  bag"  placed  over  the  animal's*  kidneys;  this  will  have  a 
terdancy  to  move  the  g-as  in  the  bowels  and  helps  to  keep  down 
inflammation.  After  the  animal  has  been  relieved,  if  it  has  been 
a  bad  case,  it  is  best  to  follow  up  with  a  dose  of  physic,  con- 
sisting" of: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger   1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  g'ive  as  a  drench, 

and  allow  him  to  stand  in  the  stable  the  next  day.      Feed  on  soft, 

light  feed.      This  will  generally  prevent  him  from  having-  another 

attack  of  colic. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BOWELS  (ENTERITIS.) 

This  is  a  very  common  disease  in  the  horse  and  is,  perhaps, 
one  of  the  most  iatal. 

Causes. — The  disease  sometimes  follows  a  severe  case  of  colic, 
where  the  animal  does  not  soon  g^et  relief.  It  may  be  caused  from 
eating  food  which  has  clay  or  sand  in  it,  which  causes  an  irritation 
of  the  bowels.  Eating  pea  straw  will  cause  the  disease  some- 
times ;  drinking  stagnant  water^  exposure  to  cold  after  a  long, 
exhausting  drive,  the  anipial  getting  a  chill  which  rushes  the 
blood  in  upon  the  bowels  and  sets  up  congestion,  which  is 
followed  by  inflammation. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  attacked  very  suddenly,  begins  to 
tremble,  paws  with  one  foot  and  then  with  the  other,  and  turns 
the  head  around  to  the  side,  cringes  and  lies  down,  and  does 
not  get  a  minute's  ease  as  he  does  in  colic,  but  will  get  up,  walk 
around,  look  at  his  side,  and  if  his  pulse  is  taken  at  this  stage  of 
the  disease,  it  will  be  found  about  45  beats  per  minute,  full  and 
bounding.  His  legs  and  ears  will  be  hotter  than  natural.  He 
passes  manure  in  small  quantities,  which  looks  slimy.  The  pain 
keeps  on  increasing,  the  symptoms  get  worse,  and  he  does  not 
get  a  minute's  peace ;  his  pulse  is  up  to  about  75  beats,  and  it  is 
still  full  and  bounding  and  does  not  vary  as  it  does  in  colic,  but 
keeps  getting  higher  as  the  disease  advances.  He  sweats  freely, 
and  the  lining  in  his  eyes  becomes  very  much  reddened  and  angry 
looking  ;  his  legs  and  ears  change  from  hot  to  cold,  and  the  pain 
keeps  on  increasing.      At  this  stage  his  ears  begin  to  lop  over  and 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  99 

he  g-ets  a  very  haggard  look  on  his  face,  as  if  in  extreme  agony. 
After  a  few  hours  he  is  a  pitying  sight  to  see.  If  you  sound  his 
bowels  at  this  stage  there  is  not  the  slightest  movement  to  be 
heard,  only  a  jerking  and  trembling  all  through  his  insides.  He 
begins  to  breathe  heavy,  and  his  ears  and  legs  have  a  cold,  clammy 
feeling.  He  keeps  on  in  very  great  pain,  lying  down,  getting  up, 
and  walking  around  his  box,  and,  if  seen  to  make  water,  it  will  be 
red  and  bloody  looking,  and  if  there  is  any  passage  from  the  bowels, 
it  will  be  mostly  slime.  If  he  does  not  get  relief  in  the  course  ot 
eight  or  ten  hours,  mortification  then  sets  in,  and  '  the  animal 
becomes  quiet  and  easy,  but  he  still  keeps  sweating  and  breathing 
heavy,  and  in  some  cases  will  try  to  eat  and  once  in  a  while  he 
will  be  noticed  to  walk  around  his  box.  In  this  stage  he  does  not 
lie  down.  The  surface  of  his  body,  his  ears,  his  nose,  his  lips  and 
legs  get  colder  and  have  a  death-like  feeling.  If  you  take  his 
pulse  now,  it  will  be  up  to  100  beats  per  minute,  and  so  weak  you 
can  hardly  feel  it,  showing  that  his  heart  is  just  fluttering, 
and  that  was  all  ;  the  haggard  look  on  his  face  becomes  more 
marked  ;  he  will  be  noticed  to  strain  a  few  times,  as  if  trying  to 
pass  something,  but  nothing  comes.  He  will  keep  on  his  feet  as 
long  as  he  can,  but  will  finally  stagger,  fall  and  die.  This  disease 
generally  runs  a  course  of  from  10  to  15  hours,  but  in  some  cases 
we  have  known  them  to  live  as  long  as  two  or  three  days,  where 
there  was  not  much  of  the  bowels  affected. 

Treatment. — This  disease,  if  taken  as  soon  as  the  animal  is 
noticed  sick,  may  be  sometimes  cured,  but  the  treatment  must  be 
quick  and  careful,  for,  if  the  disease  once  gets  a  couple  of  hours 
the  start,  it  is  then  a  hopeless  case.      Give  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 2  ounces  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  ot  Aconite 10  to  15  drops. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoon! ul. 

Ginger 1 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water,  and  give  as  a  drench. 
This  drench  is  to  relieve  the  pain  and  try  and  check  the  inflam- 
mation. This  drench  may  be  repeated  every  hour  until  the  animal 
gets  relief.  Apply  lots  of  heat  to  the  body  in  the  form  of  large 
woolen  blankets,  wrung  out  of  hot  water  and  held  up  to  the  belly, 
and  half  pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  grain  bag  to  the  back.  In  every  case, 
after  you  are  through  using  the  hot  blankets,  apply  a  mustard 
plaster,  consisting  cf  : 

Mustard h  pound. 

Vinegar Enough  to  make  it  like  paste. 


Kjf)  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Rub  this  well  over  the  belly.  Do  not  give  any  physic  or  in- 
jection in  a  case  of  this  kind,  for  they  only  irritate  the  bowels  and 
make  the  case  worse.  It  is  always  best  to  keep  the  bowels  quiet 
in  this  disease.  Where  the  animal  is  in  high  condition  it  is  well 
to  take  a  half  pail  of  blood,  if  in  the  first  stage  of  the  disease,  but 
if  you  do  this,  do  not  give  so  much  aconite.  If  the  animal  gets 
relief,  it  is  best  to  feed  him  on  soft  feed  with  flax  seed  in  it,  which 
has  a  soothing  effect  on  the  bowels.  The  horse's  bowels  will  be 
found,  after  death,  to  be  black  and  thickened  and  full  of  watery 
fluid. 

CONSTIPATION  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

This  is  where  the  bowels  become  sluggish  and  loaded  with 
food  and  manure. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  often  a  symptom  of  another  disease, 
as  in  liver  trouble,  or  where  the  stomach  is  not  doing  its  work 
properly.  It  also  may  come  after  distemper  or  influenza,  where 
the  bowels  become  weak  and  cannot  do  their  work ;  also  paralysis 
of  the  bowels,  where  the  bowels  are  paralyzed  ;  sometimes  from 
eating  over  ripe  and  inferior  food,  such  as  pea  straw  or  barley 
straw.  In  some  cases  it  is  caused  from  a  large  tumor  growing 
on  the  inside  and  pressing  on  the  bowels,  not  allowing  them  to  act. 

Symptoms.— There  will  be  very  little  manure  pass,  and  what 
comes  will  be  in  little  hard  balls.  The  animal  will  look  unnaturally 
full  and  show  signs  of  pain,  but  not  much.  He  is  sometimes 
noticed  to  lie  down  and  roll,  and  look  around  at  his  sides.  His 
pulse  is  not  much  changed,  and  when  listening  at  his  side  there 
will  be  very  little  moven>ent  in  the  bowels.  He  does  not  eat 
much  and  looks  dull  and  dumpy,  and  his  water  is  of  a  thick, 
yellow  color.  If  you  examine  his  rectum  or  back  bowel  by  oiling 
your  hand  and  passing  it  in  through  the  anus,  which  can  be  easily 
done  without  any  danger,  you  will  find  it  full  of  hard,  dry  manure. 

Treatment. — To  start  with  give  him  a  good  dose  of  physic, 
consisting  of : 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drains. 

Srt'eet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica 1  teaspoonf ul. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  then 

follow  up  with  the  following  drenches  : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre I  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica 1  teaspoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  101 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

five  or  six  hours  until  relieved   of  the    pain.      Twenty-four   hours 

after  you  give  him  the  drench  with  the  aloes  in  it.      If  the  bowels 

have  not  begun  to  move,   follow   up  with   a   drench  of  one  pint  of 

raw  linseed  oil.    Clean  the  manure  from  the  rectum  or  back  bowel 

with  your  hand  twice  a  day,   and  give  an  injection  of  one  half  pail 

of  luke  warm  water  and  a  little  soap.      After  the  pain  is  relieved, 

and  the  bowels  working,  it  is  well  to  follow  up  with  the  following 

powders  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root i  pound. 

Ginger i       " 

Common  Soda ^       " 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica |       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful   three    times  a  day  in 

his  feed.      The  powders  will   strengthen   and   tone  the  bowels  and 

start  the  animal  to  thrive.      Feed   the    animal    on    soft  feed  with 

plenty  of  flax  seed  in  it,  which  will  have  a  good  effect  on  the  weak 

bowels.     In  cases  of  constipation,  where  the  physic  does  not  seem 

to  be  acting  right,  a  little  exercise  will  often  start  it  to  work. 

DIARRH(EA. 

This  is  the  very  opposite  to  constipation,  and  is  a  disease  where 
the  animal  passes  a  large  amount  of  fluid  manure,  which  is  due  to 
the  congested  state  of  the  bowels,  and  is  seen  most  in  horses  of 
weak  confirmation,  as  narrow  chested    and  gaunt  looking  horses. 

Causes. — Where  the  animal  gets  a  few  feeds  of  rich  food  after 
being  used  to  poor  food  for  a  length  of  time.  Sometimes  from  a 
feed  of  roots,  such  as  turnips  and  carrots,  especially  if  they  are 
frozen.  Also  drinking  stagnant  water,  which  acts  as  a  blood 
poison  ;  and  we  sometimes  have  very  bad  cases  caused  by  an 
animal  feeding  on  a  sandy  pasture,  where  the  grass  is  short,  and 
in  grazing  the  short  grass  takes  up  sand  with  it  which  causes 
an  irritation  of  the  bowels.  An  over  dose  of  physic  medicine  will 
cause  this,  and  when  it  is  thus  caused  the  diarrhoea  is  called 
superpurgation.  Diarrhoea  is  a  disease  very  easily  treated,  as  a 
general  thing,  that  is  if  the  animal  is  in  a  healthy,  strong  condi- 
tion. It  is  sometimes  seen  in  nervous  horses  when  they  are  put 
in  races  and  get  excited.  It  is  also  noticed  in  excitable  road 
horses.      In  these  cases  it  is  due  to  excitement. 

SymptoniS. — This  disease  is  very  easily  told.  The  animal 
passes  a  lot  of  watery  looking  manure.  If  you  examine  the  pulse 
jt  will  not   be    much    affected   at   first,  but  if  the  disease  is  allowed 


102  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

to  run  on  it  will  become  quick  and  weak.  The  animal  does 
not  eat,  and  becomes  very  gaunt  and  weak  looking,  and  if  allowed 
to  run  on  the  legs  will  become  colder  than  natural  ;  after  a  time 
there  will  be  slight  pains,  caused  by  the  irritation  and  spasms  in 
the  bowels.  When  the  animal  begins  to  get  in  pain — if  he  is  not 
soon  relieved — the  disease  begins  to  get  more  serious,  for  the  con- 
gested state  of  the  bowels  would  soon  run  on  to  inflammation  of 
the  bowels. 

Treatment. — in  many  cases  all  you  have  to  do  is  to  change  the 
food,  clothe  the  body  according  to  the  season  of  the  year  and  give 
a  little  medicine.  Endeavor  to  find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble, 
and  if  it  is  caused  by  some  irritation  in  the  bowels,  such  as  irritat- 
ing food  or  sand,  then  give  the  following  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil J  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum  ..." 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.      In   this  case  give  the  drench   ta 

assist  nature  in    throwing   off  the   cause   of  the   disease.      Where 

the  disease  is  not  caused  from   an   irritation  oi'  that   kind  give  the 

following  : 

Tincture  of  Catechu. 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common   Soda .1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  coffee  about  the  same  strength  as  what  is 
used  at  the  table  and  give  as  a  drench,  repeat  the  drench  every 
four  or  five  hours  until  the  animal  has  relief.  The  animal  will  be 
very  dry  ;  give  him  the  water  luke  warm,  in  small  quantities,  but 
often,  and  in  the  water  mix  a  handful  of  flour.  Feed  him  on 
dry  feed  and  keep  him  quiet.  In  severe  cases  it  is  well  to  applv  a 
mustard  plaster  over  the  bowels  and  put  a  half  pail  of  hot  salt  in  a 
bag  and  place  it  over  the  kidneys. 

DIARRH(EA  IN  YOUNG  ANIMALS. 

Causes. — The  causes  of  this  disease  in  young  animals  are  gen- 
erally exposure  to  cold,  or  where  the  mother's  milk  is  either  too  rich 
or  too  poor,  or  where  the  young  animal  is  allowed  to  lie  out  on  the 
damp  ground  in  the  spring  or  fall  of  the  year.  This  chills  llie 
bowels  and  :  ets  up  diarrhoea,  or  in  some  cases  where  the  mother 
is  working  hard  and  becomes  heated  and  the  foal  drinks  a  large 
amount  of  the  hot  milk. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  103 

Symptoms. — lie  will   pass   a   large   amount  of   fluid   manure, 
which  will  stick  around  his  legs    and  tail;    and    will  become   weak 
and   sickly  and  very  gaunt,  and  his  coat  will  be  staring. 
Treatment. —  If  in  a  strong  foal,  give  : 

Castor  Oil 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 10  to.  15  drops. 

If  the  mother's  milk  is  weak  try  and  improve  it  by  giving 
lots  of  nourishing  food.  If  it  is  caused  from  drinking  the  milk 
from  the  mother  when  hot,  always  milk  a  little  out  before  the  foal 
gets  to  the  mare.  If  this  does  not  relieve  him  in  five  hours,  follow 
up  with 

Tincture  of  Laudanum  ....  10  to  20  drops. 

Brandy  or  Whisky |  to  1  ounce,  or  to  2  to  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Mix  with  some  of  the  mother's  milk  and  give  as  a  drench 
three  times  a  day.  If  in  severe  cases  keep  the  foal  warm  and 
apply  a  light  mustard  plaster  to  his  belly. 

BLOODY  FLUX  (DYSENTERY). 

This  disease  affects  the  lining  of  the  large  bowels,  in  which 
large  ulcers  are  formed,  which  bleed,  causing  the  manure  to  be 
streaked  with  blood. 

Causes. — Often  from  a  severe  attack  of  diarrhoea,  from  pas- 
turing on  wet,  marshy  lands,  or  from  eating  hay  grown  on  such 
lands,  or  using  impure  water. 

Symptoms. — The  passages  from  the  bowels  are  streaked  with 
blood  and  have  a  bad  smell  ;  sometimes  slime  comes  away  with 
the  manure.  He  does  not  feed  much,  and  in  some  cases  his 
appetite  is  entirely  gone.  The  pulse  will  be  at  about  50  beats  per 
minute  and  weak,  and  there  will  be  colicky  or  cramping  pains  in 
the  bowels. 

Treatment. — This  disease  is    in   some   cases   not   treated  with 

success,  and  in   bad   cases   is   considered   very   serious.      Give  the 

following  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  pint. 

Castor  Oil -i     " 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Mix,  shake  well,  and  give  as  a   drench  ;  then  follow  up  with 

the  following  drenches  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Catechu     1  "        4  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and   give    as  a  drench  three 

times    a   day — morning,    noon    and    night — until    he    gets    relief. 

Clothe  the  body  well,  according  to  the  season   oi'  the   vear  ;   feed 


104  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

on  soft  feed  with  lots  of  boiled  linseed  in  it,  and  take  the  chill  off 
his  drinking  water  for  a  few  days.  After  the  first  symptoms 
have  passed  off  some,  follow  up  with  the  following  powder  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^  pound. 

Sulphate  of  Iron |       " 

Mix  well  together,  and  give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day. 

TWIST  IN  THE  BOWEL  (VOLVULUS). 

This  is  not  a  very  common  disease,  although  sometimes  it  is 
met  with. 

Causes. — It  may  be  due  to  colic,  when  the  animal  is  in  very 
bad  pain,  and  the  bowels  cramped,  and  the  animal  rolling  about. 
It  is  generally  noticed  in  young  animals. 

Symptoms. — ^It  is  very  hard  to  be  sure  it  is  this  disease,  for 
the  animal  shows  similar  symptoms  to  inflammation  of  the  bowels  ; 
there  is  no  passage  on  account  of  the  twist  in  the  bowels  ;  the 
animal  is  noticed  to  sit  upon  his  haunches,  and  he  sweats,  and 
seems  in  great  distress  ;  the  pulse  runs  up  and  gets  weaker  and 
weaker  ;  he  is  generally  slightly  bloated,  on  account  of  no  passage. 
In  two  or  three  hours  the  bowels,  where  the  twist  is,  become  in- 
flamed and  the  animal  stays  in  severe  pain  until  he  dies. 

Treatment. — In  a  case  where  you  are  sure  it  is  this  disease, 
there  is  no  treatment,  except  to  relieve  the  pain  by  giving  one 
ounce  or  four  tablespoonfuls  of  laudanum  every  hour.  If  the 
animal  is  opened  after  he  dies,  there  will  be  found  a  half  hitch  on 
the  bowel  and  for  about  a  foot  or  so  on  each  side  of  the  twist  it 
will  be  black  and  inflamed. 

INTUSSUSCEPTION. 

This  is  where  you  have  one  part  of  the  bowel  to  slip  inside  of 
the  other.     This   disease  is  generally  found  in  foals  living  on  milk. 

Causes. — It  is  hard  to  say  just  what  causes  it,  but  it  is  sup- 
posed to  be  due  in  some  cases  to  cramps  in  the  bowels. 

Symptoms. — They  are   similar  to   those   of  colic  ;   the  animal 

will  have  pains  for  a   few   days,    will   not   eat  ;   the  bowels  do  not 

work  very  well,  and  after  a  few  days  in  some  cases  the  part  of  the 

bowel  that  was    slipped    inside  the   other   will    begin  to   sluff  and 

pass  off  in   the   manure,  the   bowel    will   heal   and  the  animal  will 

gradually  recover.      In   cases   where   you   suspect   this,  give   to   a 

good  sized  foal  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  teacupful. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  105 

Mix  in  some   of   the    mother's    milk    and    give   as   a  drench. 

The  dose    must   be   given   in   proportion    to   the  size   of  the  foal. 

After  this  follow  up  with  the  following  : 

Tiocture  of  Laudanum 1  dram,  or  1  teaspooufiu. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1         "         1  " 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a   little  of  the    mother's    milk   and  give   as  a  drench 

every  four  hours  until  the  animal  gets  relief. 

BALLS  FOUND  IN  THE  BOWELS  (CALCULI). 

The}"^  are  chiefly  made  up  of  lime,  and  vary  from  the  size  of  a 
marble  to  twenty  pounds.  They  generally  commence  by  the 
animal  drinking  or  eating  a  piece  of  brass  or  iron,  or  anything 
which  will  have  a  tendency  to  collect  the  lime. 

Causes. — Generally  from  feeding  the  sweepings  of  a  mill  floor, 
or  such  like.  It  may  take  the  ball  a  long  time  to  collect  before  it 
gets  large  enough  to  stop  the  passage,  the  balls  are  generally 
found  in  the  large  bowels. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptoms  of  this  are,  for  a  while,  the 
animal  is  subjected  to  wind  colic,  which  afterwards,  sooner  or 
later,  as  the  ball  gets  larger,  terminates  in  a  complete  stoppage  of 
the  bowels,  which  sets  up  inflammation  and  generally  terminates 
in  death  from  twenty-four  to  forty-eight  hours  after  the  complete 
stoppage  in  the  bowels. 

Treatment. — In  a  pure  case  of  this  kind  nothing  can  be  done, 
only  give  doses  of  laudanum,  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls  every 
couple  of  hours  to  relieve  the  pain  while  the  animal  lives.  In  the 
first  symptoms,  give  a  good  dose  of  physic,  and  in  all  cases 
where  you  suspect  this  disease  it  is  best  to  examine  the  rectum  or 
back  bowel  by  oiling  your  hand  and  passing  it  into  the  rectum, 
and  if  you  can  feel  the  ball,  remove  it  with  your  hand. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  RECTUM  OR  BACK  BOWEL. 

This  is  a  very  serious  injury,  but  in  some  cases  they  will 
recover,  especially  if  the  rupture  ison  the  upper  side  of  the  rectum. 

Causes. — Are  generally  from  some  foreign  substance,  such  as 
the  shaft  of  a  buggy  in  a  runaway,  or  any  other  such  cause, 
entering  in  at  the  anus  into  the  back  bowel  and  rupturing  it.  It 
has  also  been  caused  from  what  is  known  as  mal-address.  This 
is  when  the  stallion,  serving  a  mare,  enters  into  the  wrong 
passage. 


106  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms  are  g-enerally  stoppag-e  in  the  bowels,  and  also 
bleeding  from  the  anus  after  the  stallion  has  served  the  mare, 
or  if  a  shaft  in  a  runaway,  this  will  be  plainly  seen.  You  can  tell 
the  extent  of  the  injury  by  oiling^  your  hand  and  passing'  it  into  the 
rectum  and  examining  it. 

Treatment. —  In  a  case  where  it  was  done  from  any  substance, 

such  as  a  stick  or  shaft,  it  is   best  to   examine   and   see  if  there  is 

any  sliver  or  piece  of  the   stick    left    in    the  wound,  and  if  there  is 

remove  it  and  clean  the  manure  out  of  the  rectum  by  passing  your 

oiled  hand  up  three  or  four  times  a  day.      After  you  have  removed 

the  manure  give   an    injection    of  a   little    warm   water    and  soap, 

which  will  have  a  soothing   effect  on   the  wound,  and   also  help  to 

keep  the  bowels  regular.      Feed   on   soft  food,  and  only  allow  him 

to  have  a  small  amount  of  it,  so  as  to   keep  the  bowels  empty  as 

possible,  without  starving  the  animal,  and  give  him  the  following 

drench. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil },  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laiirianniii 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.  After  this,  if  the  animal  seems  in 
pain,  it  is  well  to  follow  up  with  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonful 
drenches  of  laudanum  every  four  hours  in  a  little  hike  warm  water. 
If  the  animal  is  very  fleshv,  it  is  well  to  give  five  to  ten  drops  of 
Fleming's  tincture  of  aconite  to  keep  down  inflammation. 

TUMORS  OR  ABSCESSES  IN  THE  RECTUM  OR  BACK  BOWEL. 

This  disease  is  not  ver}'  common. 

Causes. — When  tlie  bowels  are  costive  it  has  a  tendency  to 
cause  this;  or  from  rudely  inserting  the  hand  or  an   injection  pipe. 

Symptoms.  The  symptoms  are  noticed  most  at  the  time  of 
making  manure.  He  will  be  noticed  to  be  in  severe  pain  when 
passing  anything,  and  in  some  cases  he  will  lie  down  from  the 
pain.  If  the  tumor  or  abscess  is  large  you  will  notice  the  animal 
straining,  but  pass  nothing. 

Trjatm^nt. — If  it  is  an  abscess,  and  you  think  there  is  matter 
in  it  by  feeling  it,  take  a  small  knife  or  lance  and  pierce  it,  allow- 
ing the  matter  to  escape.  If  it  is  a  tumor,  and  can  be  g'ot  at,  then 
remove  it  with  a  knife  by  cutting  it  out.  In  some  cases  tlie 
ecraseur  (which  is  an  instrument  with  a  chain  that  squeezes  it  off) 
comes  in  very  useful  in  removing  tumors  here.  The  after  treat- 
ment is 'giving  raw  linseed  oil,  and  feeding  boiled  flax  seed  in 
the  feed  to  keep  the  bowels  loose. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  107 

PROTRUSION  OF  THE  RECTUM  OR  BACK  BOWEL. 

This    is  often    met    with  and   is  a    miserable    loolving"  sig'ht, 
especially  if  it  is  left  out  long"  and  it  becomes  swollen. 

Causes. — From  a  horse  jumpino^  a  fence  and  getting-  caug^ht 
and  lyings  on  his  belly  half  over  the  fence  ;  or  in  cases  where 
the  animal  g^ets  very  much  bloated,  as  in  wind  colic  or  acute  in- 
dig-estion,  and  the  bowels  get  pressed  out.  It  has  been  seen  in 
cases  of  diarrhoea,  and  one  great  cause  of  this  is  constipation  of 
the  bowels,  where  the  animal  strains  to  pass  manure  and,  in  so 
doing-,  turns  the  rectum  out.  It  is  turned  out  sometimes  when 
the  mare  is  foaling,  and  sometimes  in  castrating-  an  old  stallion, 
where  he  forces  very  much. 

Symptoms. — You  will  see  from  three  or  four  inches,  and,  in 
some  cases,  two  feet  of  the  bowel. 

Treatment. — Wash  the  bowel  well  with  luke  warm  water,  and 
then  place  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose  and  have  one  of  his  front 
legs  held  up  so  he  cannot  kick  ;  have  the  tail  held  out  of  the  road, 
then  take  sweet  oil  and  oil  the  bowel  all  over  ;  commence  return- 
ing the  bowel  at  the  anus,  as  you  have  to  turn  the  bowel  inside 
out  ;  shove  the  parts  well  back  in  with  the  hand  and  arm,  and 
have  someone  to  hold  his  tail  down  tight  for  an  hour  or  so  until 
he  quits  forcing,  after  the  bowel  is  replaced.  It  is  also  well  to 
have  his  hind  end  raised,  by  means  of  straw  or  boards  under  his 
hind  feet.  Give  the  following  dose  of  medicine  to  work  on  his 
bowels  and  relieve  the  pain  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil I  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum    ....    1  ounce  or  4  talilespoonfuls. 

Shake  well  together  and   give   as   a  drench.      Feed  the  horse 

on  soft  feed  with  lots  of  boiled    linseed    in    it   to    keep    the  bowels 

loose.      If  the  case  is  caused  by  constipation  of  the  bowels,  give  : 

Bitter  Aloes S  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  with  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

PERITONITIS. 

This  is  inflamm.ition  of  the  serous  membrane  fo  .nd  lining- 
the  inside  of  the  belly  and  over  the  outside  of  the  bou-els. 

Causes. —  It  is  generally  caused  from  exposure  to  cold  after 
some  weakening  disjase.  This  disease  is  also  noticed  to  come 
after  the  colt  has  bjen  castrated  and  he  has  been  left  out  in  a 
cold    rain  or  walked    throu.>";h  a   river  when  warm   atter  castration, 


108  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

or  left  standing-  in  a  cold  east  wind.  It  may  also  be  caused  from 
the  belly  being-  bruised. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  be  noticed  to  be  in  slight  pain, 
will  lie  down,  stretch  himself  out  and  moan,  sweat  freely  if  the 
weather  is  warm,  then  g-et  up  and  move  around  and  seems  very 
weak,  breathes  very  heavy,  almost  as  heavy  as  in  a  case  of  in- 
flammation of  the  lungs.  The  pulse  runs  up  to  70  or  80  beats 
per  minute.  If  he  is  not  soon  relieved  his  legs  and  ears  become 
cold  ;  his  ears  lop  over,  and  he  seems  very  weak — hardly  able  to 
get  up  when  he  is  down.  By  listening  with  your  ear  to  his  side 
you  will  find  his  bowels  do  not  work  very  much,  and  if  you  press 
over  the  bowels  it  causes  him  pain.  The  animal  refuses  food,  and, 
in  some  cases,  the  manure  will  have  a  very  glossy  appearance. 

Treatment.— Give  the  following  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  to  10  drops. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.     Apply  lots  of  heat  to  the  belly  in 

the  form  of  woolen   blankets  wrung  out  of  hot  water,  and  follow 

up  afterwards  with  a  mustard  plaster  over  the  bowels,  and  a  half 

pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  over  his  back.      Feed  on  soft  food  with 

lots  of  flaxseed  in   it  to  keep  his  bowels  regular.      After  the  first 

drench,  if  the   pain    is   not   relieved,  follow  up  with   tl/e  following 

drench  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  to  10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke-warm  water  and  give  every  two  hours 

until  the    pain    is    relieved.      Sometimes    this    disease   is  followed 

by  dropsy  or  a  collection  of  water  in  the  belly. 

DROPSY  OF  THE  BELLY. 

This  is  a  collection  of  a  watery  fluid  in  the  belly  around 
the  bowels,  and  is  generally  the  result  of  inflammation  of  the 
membrane  mentioned  above. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  very  weak,  the  pulse  quick  and 
weak,  the  muscles  of  the  body  soft  and  flabby,  the  belly  looks 
swollen,  and  i.  you  press  on  it  you  can  tell  it  is  caused  by  some  fluid 
inside.  The  bowels  are  constipated,  but  in  some  cases  of  this 
disease  the  animal  will  eat  pretty  well. 

Treatment. — Give  remedies  that  will  tend  to  absorb  the  fluid, 
encourage  his  appetite  by  giving  him  lots  of  good  food  to  eat. 
Give  the  following  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  109 

Iodide  of  Potassium I  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root 5       " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  tablespoonful  three  times 
a  day.  Give  the  animal  a  little  exercise  every  day.  It  is  recom- 
mended in  bad  cases  to  tap  the  lower  part  of  the  belly  with 
a  trocar  and  cannula,  but  this  operation  does  not  prove  very  suc- 
cessful in  the  horse. 

HORSE  EATING  TOO  MUCH  WHEAT. 

This  is  a  very  dangerous  thing,  especially  if  the  horse  is  not 
used  to  getting  wheat  and  eats  a  quantity  of  it.  The  wheat  swells 
and  forms  gas  in  his  stomach  and  after  a  time  gets  like  dough, 
which  sets  up  acute  indigestion  and  often  terminates  in  a  case  of 
acute  founder. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  you  have  found  out  the  horse  has 
eaten  wheat,  do  not  let  him  have  any  water  or  feed  to  eat  for 
twenty-four  hours  and  keep  him  quiet,  after  that  give  him  plenty 
of  luke  warm  water  and  soft  teed.  If  acute  indigestion  is  set  up, 
give  the  treatment  given  for  acute  indigestion  ;  if  it  turns  to 
founder,  give  treatment  given  for  acute  founder. 

LONG  ROUND  WORMS  (LUMBRICI). 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  not  do  well,  will  fall  off  in  con- 
dition, and  every  once  in  a  while  will  pass  some  long,  round  worms 
in  his  manure.  Sometimes  when  they  are  in  large  quantities  they 
will  set  up  spells  of  colic,  and  we  have  known  cases  where  they  form 
a  ball  in  the  small  bowels  and  stop  the  passage,  killing  the  animal. 

Treatment. — Get  rid  of  the  worms  by  giving  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil ^  pint. 

Spirits  Turpentine 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonf uls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  once  a  week.  As  well  as  this  give 
a  teaspoonful  of  sulphate  of  iron  in  his  feed  twice  a  day.  This  is 
the  best  remedy  known  for  the  worms. 

PIN  WORMS. 

These  are  short,  fine  worms  about  an  inch  or  two  long  and 
only  affect  the  rectum  or  back  bowel. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  generally  feeds  well,  but  will  fall  off 
in  condition.  His  coat  will  be  dry  and  dusty  ;  he  will  rub  his  tail 
and  there  will  be  a  white,  slimy  stuff  around  the  anus. 


no  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  is  in  good  condition,  g'ive  a  physic  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in. a  pint  of    luke    warm    water,    and    g'ive   as  a  drench. 

After  this  clean   out    the    rectum    with    your    hand    and    inject  the 

following-  : 

Quassia  Chips i  pound. 

Rain  Water 1  gallon. 

Mix  and  boil  down   to   one   half   g^allon,    then   strain   off  the 

chips  and  inject  with  a  syring-e.      After   the  injection  keep  it  in  the 

rectum  one  half  hour  by  holding  the  tail  down.      Clean  the  rectum 

out  and  give  an  injection  once  a  week.      This -is   a  cheap  and  sure 

cure  for  them.      Medicine  given   by  the   mouth   will    not  do    much 

good,  for  it  will  never  reach  the  worms. 


CHAPTER  V. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  LIVER  AND  SPLEEN. 

CONGESTION  AND  INFLAMMATION-  OF  THE  LIVER. 

These  two  diseases  are  so  much  alike,  having  the  same 
causes,  symptoms  and  treatment,  that  we  will  treat  them  both 
together. 

Causes. — It  is  usually  caused  from  feeding  very  high  and 
getting  little  exercise,  or  an  abscess  in  the  liver  will  cause  these 
diseases. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  shows  pain,  looks  around  at  his 
sides,  lies  down,  but  does  not  roll  as  he  dees  in  bowel  troubles. 
He  will  then  get  up  and  stand  awhile,  breathes  heavy  and  quick, 
the  pulse  is  quick  and  the  bowels,  as  a  general  thing,  are  costive 
and  the  manure  is  black  and  slimy  looking.  The  lining  of  the 
mouth  and  eyes  are  of  a  yellow  color,  similar  to  jaundice. 
Other  symptoms  are  that  he  will  be  lame  in  the  off  front  leg ;  and  his 
urine  is  green,  resembling  the  bile  of  the  liver. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  is  in  good  condition,  give 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre  1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1       "  "  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
Apply  a  mustard  plaster  well  rubbed  in  on  the  under  part  of  the 
the  belly  and  clothe  the  body  well,  according  to  the  season  of  the 
year.      After  this  follow  up  with  the  following  medicine  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  KORSE.  Ill 

Iodide  of  Potassium, ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times 
a  day  in  his  feed  or  on  his  tongaie  with  a  spoon.  In  cases  where 
the  cause  is  from  high  feeding  and  little  exercise,  feed  light,  soft 
food  and  give  regular  exercise. 

YELLOWS  (JAUNDICE.) 

This  is,  perhaps,  the  most  common  disease  of  the  liver. 

Causes. — From  inflammation  of  the  liver,  from  gall  stones 
stopping  up  the  tube  which  leads  from  the  liver  to  the  bowels, 
from  weakening  diseases,  such  as  influenza  or  distemper,  from  an 
abscess  forming  in  the  liver  or  from  any  other  disorder  of  the  liver, 
where  the  bile  is  not  taken  from  the  blood. 

Symptoms. — The  bowels  become  constipated  and  the  manure 
is  of  a  dark  clay  color,  the  animal  is  dull  and  does  not  feed  well, 
the  lining  of  the  mouth  and  around  the  eyes  is  of  a  yellow  color, 
from  which  it  gets  the  name,  jaundice. 

Treatment.—  If  it  is  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  by  turning  him 

out  on  the  grass  it  will  often  effect  a  cure  itself,  if  not,  and  the 

animal  is  in  fair  condition,  give 

Bitter  Aloes     4  drams. 

Calomel ^  dram. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  or  it 
is  sometimes  mixed  in  the  form  of  a  ball  (as  to  how  to  make  a 
ball  refer  to  the  receipts  in  the  back  of  this  book).  After  this 
follow  up  with  the  following  powder: 

Iodide  of  Potassium ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J      «' 

Mix  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day. 
Feed  the  animal  on  soft,  nourishing  food,  such  as  boiled  oats, 
scalded  chop  stuff  and  bran,  with  plenty  of  boiled  flaxseed,  and 
allow  him  gentle  exercise  every  day,  this  will  generally  effect  a 
cure. 

BILE  STONES  (BILIARY  CALCULI.) 

This  disease  is  not  so  common  in  horses  as  it  is  in  man,  but 
^hey  may  exist  in  great  numbers,  and  if  they  do  they  stop  the 
Pow  of  the  bile  out  of  the  liver  and  cause  the  bile  to  be  absorbed 
hack  again  into  the  blood,  then  it  sets  up  jaundice.  Persons  liv- 
•ng  high  and  taking  little  exercise  are  liable  to  the^e  stones. 
This  same  rule  holds  good  in  horses. 


112  THE  VETERINARY  SCIE^XE. 

Treatment. — Give  either  a  pint  ot  raw  linseed  oil,  or  8  drams 
of  bitter  aloes  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  luke  w^arm  water  to  physic  the 
bowels,  and  give  the  following-  : 

Diluted  Hydrochloric  Acid ^  dram,  or  ^  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  g"ive  as  a  drench  two  or  three 
times  a  day.  The  action  of  this  acid  is  to  dissolve  the  stones  and 
get  rid  of  them.      Feed  the  horse  light  and  give  regular  exercise 

ENLARGEMENT  OF  THE  LIVER  (HYPERTROPHY) 

This  is  usually  seen  in  old  horses,  and  is  caused  by  faulty 
feeding.  This  disease  is  also  seen  in  man,  which  is  generally 
caused  from  taking  intoxicating  liquors. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  falls  off  in  condition,  sometimes  has 
diarrhoea,  while  again  he  is  costive.  This  continues  changing 
from  one  to  the  other.  There  will  also  be  yellowness  of  the  lin- 
ing of  the  mouth  and  eyes,  and  the  animal  will  die  a  lingering 
death. 

Treatment. — There  is  no  cure,  but  it  may  be  helped  sometimes 
by  regular  feeding  and  regular  exercise. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  SPLEEN. 

This  disease  is  chiefly  found  in  the  southern  parts  of  the 
United  States,  where  it  is  very  warm. 

Causes  are  unknown. 

Symptoms. — Similar  to  colic,  the  animal  is  dull  and  languid 
and  has  a  tendency  to  hang  the  head  and  lop  the  ears.  He  will 
lie  down  and  roll,  get  up,  stand  easy  for  a  while,  will  not  eat 
much,  and  the  pulse  runs  up  and  is  quick  and  weak.  This  is  a 
hard  disease  to  form  a  positive  opinion  before  death. 

Treatment. — if  you  suspect  it  is  inflammation  of  the  spleen, 

give  the  following  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Shake  well,  and  give  as  a  drench.  Apply  a  mustard  plaster 
over  the  left  side  of  the  belly,  opposite  the  stomach  and  spleen. 
Clothe  the  body  well  to  keep  him  warm,  and  give  the  follow- 
ing drenches  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1         "        4  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and   give   every  two   hours   until  the 

animal  gets  relief. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  113 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  URINARY  ORGANS. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  KIDNEYS  (NEPHRITIS). 

This  disease  is  divided  into  two  kinds — acute  inflammation 
and  chronic  inflammation. 

ACUTE  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  KIDNEYS. 

Ca.USeS. —  Exposure  to  cold  or  standing-  out  in  cold  rain  storms, 
such  as  we  have  in  the  fall  and  spring-  ;  lying-  on  the  ground  when 
it  is  cold  and  damp  ;  by  giving-  large  quantities  of  medicine  which 
acts  on  the  kidneys;  from  carrying  a  heavy  weight  on  the  back;  or 
in  running  horses,  from  violent  exertion  in  racing. 

Symptoms. ^The  animal  seems  feverish,  the  pulse  is  full  tend 
bounding  and  runs  from  60  to  80  beats  per  minute,  the  moutl  is 
hot  and  dry,  he  sweats  freely  and  breathes  heavy,  he  looks  arou.»d 
to  the  sides,  and,  in  some  cases,  puts  his  nose  right  upon  the  side 
opposite  the  kidneys  ;  the  animal  will  sometimes  cringe  and  lie 
down  easy,  stretch  out,  and  will  be  heard  moaning,  as  if  in  great 
distress  ;  sometimes  he  will  lie  for  half  an  hour  at  a  time,  but  will! 
lie  quiet  and  will  not  try  to  roll  on  his  back  as  he  does  in  bowel 
diseases  ;  also,  by  pressing  over  the  loins  it  causes  him  more  pain. 
If  you  listen  at  the  bowels  you  do  not  hear  much  movement  or 
rumbling  in  them,  and  there  is  very  little  passage  from  the  bowels. 
He  will  try  and  make  water  often,  but  passes  very  little  at  a  time, 
and  it  is  generally  of  a  red  color  and  tinged  with  blood.  If  the 
animal  does  not  get  relief  after  two  or  three  days,  all  the  symptoms 
gradually  grow  worse,  and  when  he  tries  to  make  water  he  passes 
nothing  but  blood  ;  in  this  case   he   generally  dies   in  a  day  or  so. 

Treatment. — The    treatment   must   be   quick    if  you    want  to 

save  the  life  of  the  animal.      Give  the  following  drench  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tabiespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  12  drops. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.  Apply  woolen  blankets,  wrung  out 
of  hot  water,  over  the  small  of  the  back  and  cover  this  over  with 
dry  blankets  so  as  to  keep  the  heat  in  and  cause  the  animal  to 
sweat.  Always  apply  mustard  plaster  over  the  back  after  the 
blankets  are  taken  off.  It  is  also  recommended  to  apply  a  newly 
flayed  sheep  skin  over  the  loins  and  leave  on  for  twenty-four  hours. 

—8— 


114  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Keep  him  quiet  as  you  can  and,  after  the  first   drench,    if  he  does 

not  get  rehef,  follow  up  with  the  following-  drench  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Extract  of  Belladonna i  dram,  or  30  drops. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

two  hours  until  the  animal  gets  relief.     Now,  always  remember  in 

this  disease  never  give  any  medicine  to  act  on  the  kidneys,  such  as 

saltpetre  or  sweet  spirits  of  nitre,  for  the  kidneys  should  be  left  as 

quiet  as  possible.      After  the  animal  has  relief  give  a  teaspoonful  of 

common  soda  in  his  feed  three  times  a  day.      Feed  on   soft  food 

with  lots  of  boiled  flaxseed  mixed  with  it.      If  the  bowels  are  very 

costive  it  is  well  to  give  injections,  two  or  three  times  a  day,  oi' 

warm  water  and  a   little    soap,   which  will    help   to   regulate    the 

bowels. 

CHRONIC  INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  KIDNEYS. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  by  using  too  much  medicine  that  has 
a  stimulating  effect  on  the  kidneys,  or  from  eating  food  that  has 
a  tendency  to  act  on  the  kidneys,  such  as  pea  or  oat  straw. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  uneasy,  lies  down  and  gets  up, 
stands  with  his  hind  legs  spread  apart,  as  far  back  as  he  can  get 
them,  and  they  are  generally  swollen  ;  his  pulse  is  not  much 
affected  ;  he  passes  urine  but  in  small  quantities,  sometimes  quite 
natural  and  sometimes  streaked  with  blood  ;  he  generally  walks 
stiff,  and  by  pressing  on  his  back  he  will  show  signs  of  soreness. 

Treatment. — Give  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil  as  a  drench,  and  if 
there  is  much  pain  it  is  well  to  put  in  one  ounce  or  four  table- 
spoonfuls  of  Tincture  of  Laudanum  and  five  drops  of  Fleming's 
Tincture  of  Aconite,  feed  on  soft  food  with  lots  of  boiled  flaxseed 
in  it,  and  give  him  a  teaspoonful  of  common  soda  three  times 
a  day  in  his  feed.  Place  a  half-pailful  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  over 
his  kidneys,  keep  this  changed  every  hour  until  he  gets  relief. 
After  he  gets  relief  give  him  regular  exercise  and  follow  up  with 
ihe  following  powders  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      " 

Sulphate  of  Iron |      '* 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  feed. 

DIABETES. 

This  is  where  the  food  is  converted  into  sugar  and  passes  off 
through  the  kidneys. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE  115 

Causes. — Are  from  a  weakened  state  of  the  system  following 
some  weakening-  disease,  and  it  may  also  be  caused  from  eating 
musty  feed. 

S5'niptoniS.—  There  is  great  thirst,  the  animal  drinks  large 
quantities  of  water.  In  one  case  an  animal  was  known  to  drink 
thirty-eight  gallons  of  water  in  five  hours.  The  horse  is  dull, 
feeds  poorly  and  passes  an  abundant  amount  of  water  or  urine 
which  is  of  a  clear  color  ;  his  coat  looks  dusty,  and  he  becomes 
hide-bound,  and  he  will  gradually  pine  away  till  he  dies. 

Treatment. — Change  his  feed,  and  if  in  summer  time,  let  him 
have  a  run  to  grass  ;  if  in  any  other  time  of  the  year  give  him 
plenty  of  cooked  feed,  such  as  boiled  oats  or  scalded  chop  stuff  ; 
g-ive  him  pure  water  to  drink  in  small  quantities,  but  often,  and 
g"ive  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Iodine ^  dram,  or  ^  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water,  give  once  a  day  for  four  or  five  days, 

until  he  seems  better.      After  that  follow  up  with  the  following 

powders  : 

Sulphate  of  Iron ; i  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      '* 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  his  feed  or 

on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon. 

ISCHURIA. 

This  is  where  the  horse  does  not  pass  urine  or  water. 

Causes. — ^From  the  kidneys  not  acting  properly. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  not  pass  any  urine. 

Treatment. — Give  one  ounce,   or  four  tablespoonful  doses  of 

sweet  spirits  of  nitre  three  times  a  day  until  he  makes  water,  then 

follow  up  with  the  following  powder  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root J  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^       " 

Mix  and  give  a  large  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  feed 
until  the  animal  is  all  right.  We  also  have  the  disease  in  another 
form,  the  kidneys  secrete  the  urine  or  water  all  right,  but  it  is  held 
in  the  bladder: 

Causes.^ — Spasms  or  contraction  of  the  neck  of  the  bladder,  or 
calculi  or  bladder  stones  will  cause  it  by  working  up  into  the  neck 
of  the  passage,  or  sometimes  from  a  horse  holding  his  water  on 
account  of  having  no  bedding  under  him,  being  afraid  of  splashing 
his  legs. 


116  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  attempts  to  urinate  or  make  water 
often,  but  nothing  comes  ;  he  groans  with  pain,  stamps  his  hind 
feet,  and  will  sometimes  lie  down  and  get  up.  In  the  horse  you 
will  notice  him  passing  his  penis  in  and  out.  In  this  case,  if  you 
are  not  just  sure  of  it,  oil  your  hand  and  pass  it  up  into  the  back 
bowel  or  rectum,  and  by  passing  down  towards  the  bladder  you 
will  find  it  greatly  distended  with  water. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  case  where  the  animal  has  no  bedding 
under  him,  always  shake  straw  under  him,  and  give  the  follow- 
ing drench  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1         "         4  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  warm  water  and   give   as  a  drench.      If  after 

half  an  hour  the  horse  is   not   relieved  and   makes   water,  you  will 

have   to   take   it   away,    which  is  very   easily   done   in   the   mare; 

oil  the  hand  and  pass  it  in  along  the  floor  of  the  vulva  about  four 

inches,  when  you  will   feel   a    small    hole    on   the   under  side.      In 

some  cases,  by  passing  the  finger  about  an  inch    into  this  hole,  it 

will  cause  her  to  strain  and  she  will  make  water.      If  this  does  not 

have  the  effect,  then  pass  the  catheter,    which    is    a  limber   tube 

made  for  the  purpose,  down  into  the   bladder.      In  the  horse,  take 

hold  of  the  penis,  enter  the  catheter  in   the   hole    in  the  penis  and 

gently  pass  it  up  into  the  bladder  and  allow  the  urine  to  drain  out 

through  the  catheter.      Put  a  little  sweet  oil  on  the  catheter  before 

using  it.      Generally  after  taking   the   water  away  once  it  will  be 

all  right. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BLADDER  (CYSTITIS). 

Causes. — The  bladder  is  sometimes  injured  in  difficult  cases 
in  foaling  ;  Exposure  to  the  weather,  being  out  in  cold  rains,  or 
lying  on  the  damp  ground. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  walks  with  a  straddling  gait,  and 
makes  water  often  in  small  quantities,  which  is  sometimes  streaked 
with  blood. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.      Apply  heat  over  the  small  of  the 

back  in  the  form  of  a  mustard  plaster,  also   apply  mustard  around 

the  back  part  of  the  belly.      Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  feed  boiled 

linseed  to  act  on  the  bowels.     After  the   first  dose,   if  the  animal 

has  not  relief  in  two  hours,  give  the  following  drench  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  117 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespooufuls, 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.    Give 

this  drench   every   two    or    three    hours    until    the   animal    seems 

relieved,  and  then  g-ive  the  following  powders  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root J  pound. 

Common  Soda |      " 

Mix  and  give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day  in  his  feed. 

STONES  IN  THE  BLADDER  (CALCULI). 

These  stones  are  found  in  the  kidneys  or  in  the  tubes  that 
lead  down  to  the'  bladder,  or  in  the  bladder,  or  may  be  found  in 
the  tube  that  leads  out  of  the  bladder,  but  they  are  mostly  found 
in  the  bladder. 

Causes. — Are  generally  from  the  kind  of  food  and  water  the 
animal  uses,  turnips  being  one  of  the  worst,  or  drinking  water 
that  contains  a  great  deal  of  lime. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  uneasy  and  has  colicky  pains. 
He  will  be  in  more  pain  just  after  passing  water.  In  some  cases 
where  there  are  a  number  of  these  stones,  the  animal  after  making 
water  will  pass  blood,  and  for  a  few  times  after  this  he  may  make 
water  all  right,  and  then  will  pass  blood  again. 

Treatment. — Give  lots  of  soft  feed  with  boiled  linseed  in  it  to 
loosen  the  bowels  and  give  the  following  medicine  : 

Diluted  Hydrochloric  Acid i  dram. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a  day. 
The  action  of  this  acid  is  to  dissolve  the  stones.  Continue  the 
use  of  this  until  the  animal  is  better. 

INVERSION  OF  THE  BLADDER. 

This  is  only  met  with  in  mares,  and  generally  at  the  time  of 
foaling,  when  the  mare  is  straining  violently. 

Symptoms. — In  straining,  the  bladder  becomes  forced  back 
and  turns  out  through  the  tube,  and  hangs  out  of  the  vulva 
inside  out. 

Treatment — If  it  is  noticed  at  the  time  it  is  done,  before  it 
becomes  swollen  and  enlarged,  it  can  generally  be  turned  back  to 
its  place  by  pressing  it  in  with  the  hands  and  fingers.  After  you 
have  returned  it,  if  the  animal  is  in  pain,  give  one  ounce  or  four 
tablespoonfuls  of  tincture  of  laudanum  every  two  hours  until  the 
animal  stops  straining  and  seems  relieved.     . 


118  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

DRIBBLING  OF  THE  URINE  OR  WATER  (ENURESIS). 

Causes. — Sometimes  from  an  irritation  of  the  bladder  or  from 
the  neck  of  the  bladder  becoming-  paralyzed. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  noticed  to  have  urine  dribbling- 
away  from  it  all  the  time. 

Treatment.— Give    a    teaspoonful    of   powdered    nux    vomica 

twice  a  day.      If  the  animal's  water  seems  thick  it  is  well  to  g^ive  a 

teaspoonful  of  nitrate  of  potash   or   saltpetre  once  a  day   in  the 

feed. 

PARALYSIS  OF  THE  BLADDER. 

Causes. — From  a  weakened  state  of  the  system  or  being-  ex- 
posed to  the  cold,  and  is  noticed  most  in  animals  that  are  very 
poorly  kept. 

Symptoms. — in  a  pure  case  of  this  the  urine  or  water  is  not 
passed  on  account  of  the  bladder  not  being-  able  to  contract,  and 
thus  becomes  very  full,  causing-  much  pain.  By  oiling  the  hand  and 
passing-  it  in  the  back  bowel  or  rectum  and  pressing-  it  down  you 
will  find  the  bladder  to  be  very  full  of  water. 

Treatment. — Draw  the  water  off  with  a  catheter  (which  is  a 

limber  tube  made  for  the  purpose)  every  night  and   morning  and 

give  the  following  : 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica ^  pound. 

(irouuJ  Gentian  Root ^       '" 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in. 
his  feed  until  he  has  regained  the  strength   to  pass  urine. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  GENITAL  ORGANS  OF 
THE  HORSE. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TESTICLES. 
Causes. — Are  sometimes  from   a  kick  or  blow  of  any  kind,  or 
from  their  swinging  around  and  striking  the  legs  in  the   trotting 
stallion.      In  some  cases  they  are  bruised  in  lying  down. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  are  very  plain,  the  horse  seems  in 
pain,  and  testicles    become    swollen    and    very   sore  to  touch  ;   he 
walks  with  a  stiff,  straggling  gait  and  is  generally  noticed  to  stand. 
Treatment. — Give  physic  drench,  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes S  diaiDS. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  12  drops. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  119 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke   warm    water    and    give   as   a  drench. 

Bathe  the  testicles  with  warm    water    and    then    apply    a    hot 

poultice  to  them,  consisting-  of  half  linseed   meal   and  bran.      This 

poultice  can  be  held  to  its  place  by  means  of  cords  over  his  back. 

Change  the  poultice  every  two  or   three  hours   and   keep    bathing; 

well  with  warm  water.     Also  clothe  the  body  well  and,  if  he  wishes 

to  eat,  give  him  plenty  of  soft    feed    with    boiled    flax    seed   in  it. 

After  the  first    drench,    if   he    does    not    get    relief,    give    him  the 

following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1         "  4  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  three 
times  a  day, 

DROPSY  OF  THE  SCROTUM,  OR  BAG  (HYDROCELE). 

This  is  where  there  is  a  large  amount  of  fluid  collects  in  the 
scrotum  and  makes  it  look  large  and  flabby. 

Causes. — It  often  follows  a  case  of  inflammation  of  the  testicles. 

Treatment. — Give  iodide  of  potassium — a  teaspoonful  twice  a 

day  in  his  feed.      In  some  cases   it    is    recommended   to  draw  the 

fluid  off  by  tapping  the  scrotum  with   a   small  trocar  and  cannula, 

but  it  is  best  to  try   and  absorb    it,   an}  way,   by  using  medicines 

mentioned. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  PENIS. 

Either  in  the  stallion  or  in  the  gelding,  by  being  kicked  or 
struck  with  a  whip  or  stick  while  the  penis  is  out  of  the  sheath, 
or  it  may  be  caused  in  the  stallion  by  putting  him  to  too  many 
mares,  or  handling  the  penis  rough,  or  sometimes  from  becoming 
frost  bitten  in  very  cold  weather. 

Symptoms. — The  penis  will  be  swollen  and  the  animal  will  not 
be  able  to  draw  it  back  into  the  sheath,  it  hangs  out  and,  if  you 
press  on  it,  it  seems  sore. 

Treatment. — Bathe  well  with  warm  water  until  the  swelling 
seems  to  go  down,  also  take  a  small  pen-knife  and  tap  the  penis 
where  it  is  swollen  a  few  times  and  allow  the  water  and  blood  to 
run  out  ;  this  will  often  reduce  the  swelling.  After  this,  oil  the 
penis  and  try  and  pass  it  back  into  the  sheath.  After  the  penis  is 
put  back,  plug  the  opening  of  the  sheath  well  with  cotton  batting, 
which  generally  holds  it  to  its  place  for  a  few  hours  at  h  time,  thus 
giving  the  penis  the  natural  heat  of  the  body,  which  is  very  help- 
ful to  it.  Bathe,  oil,  and  replace  the  penis  two  or  three  times  a 
day  until  it  regains  its  strength,  and  give  the  following  : 


120  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Ground  Sulphate  of  Iron i  pound. 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica . . .  i        " 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  his  feed  until 

the  animal  can  draw  the  penis  back  into  the  sheath  himself. 

SWELLING  OF  THE  SHEATH. 

Causes. — This  is  g-enerally  caused  from  what  is  known  as  a 
dirty  sheath,  also  from  bad  blood  and  disordered  kidneys. 

Symptoms. — Swelling  around  the  sheath  and  hind  legs,  his 
water  or  urine  is  thick  and  yellow. 

Treatment. — Take  warm  water  and   soap   and   wash   out  the 

inside  of  the  sheath  and  grease    it  with   lard.      Give  the   horse    a 

physic  ball,  or  drench,  mentioned    in    the   receipts   at    the  back  of 

this  book,  to  clean  him  out,  and  give  the  following  powders  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur i      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  tim.es  a  day  in 
his  feed.  Give  the  horse  a  little  exercise  every  day  and  the  swell- 
ing will  soon  disappear. 

GROWTHS  ON  THE  END  OF  THE  PENIS. 

These  growths  are  of  various  kinds  and  prove  very  trouble- 
some and  painful  when  the  animal   is  urinating  or  making  water. 

Causes. — It  is  hard  to  tell  the  cause,  but  sometimes  from  a 
slight  injury  not  being  treated  the  sore  place  will  throw  out 
a  growth. 

Treatment. — if  the  growth   is  not  very  large  wash  it  off  with 

warm  water  and  soap,  then  touch  the  parts  with  a  stick  of  caustic 

potash,  which   will    burn   it  ;  after  the   scab    falls   off,  wash,    and 

then  burn  again,  repeat  this  until  you  have  the   growth   entirely 

removed.      Dress   it  every  day  until  it  is  entirely  healed  with  the 

white  lotion. 

WARTS  AROUND  THE  SHEATH. 

We   frequently   see  warty  growths  around   the   sheath   which 

can  generally  be  got   rid  of  by  tying  a  small   strong  cord  around 

the  wart  very  tightly,  which  will  stop  the   blood   circulating  ;    by 

leaving  the  string  tied  tightly  the  wart  will  soon  drop  off.      This  is 

the  best  way  to  remove   them,  if  it  can  be  done.      Another  very 

good  method  of  removing  them    is   to   cut   them   off  with  a  knife 

and  burn  the  spot    with   a   stick   of  caustic  potash.      Warts,  as  a 

general  thing  do  not  bleed  much. 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  THE^HORSE.  121 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  GENITAL  ORGANS  OF 
THE  MARE. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  OVARIES. 

Enlargement  of  the  ovaries  is  the  most  common  disease  we 
have  to  deal  with  in  connection  with  the  ovaries. 

Causes. — The  cause  is  not  known. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  noticed  to  be  very  irritable,  falls 
off  in  condition,  and  is  continually  in  season,  and  if  put  to  a  horse 
does  not  g^et  with  foal,  and  this  is  one  cause  of  a  mare  being" 
barren. 

Treatment. — If  the  mare  is  in  good  condition  give  her  a  physic 

drench  consisting  of  the  following  : 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common   Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  allow 
the  animal  to  stand  in  the  stable  a  couple  of  days  after  the  drench, 
and  follow  up  with  the  following  powder  : 

Iodide  of  Potassium J  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre f       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day. 

WHITES  (LEUCORRH(EA.) 

This  disease  is  met  with  mostly  in  old  mares  that  are  poor  in 
condition  and  that  have  ceased  to  breed.  There  is  a  white  glary 
discharge  from  the  vulva  behind,  which  looks  like  curdled  milk. 
This  discharge  has  a  bad  smell,  the  animal  falls  off  in  condition 
becoming  thin  and  weak. 

Treatment. — Oil  your  hand  and  pass  it  in  behind  with  a  cloth 

or    sponge   saturated    with    hot    water    and    soap,   wash    out   the 

passage  thoroughly  clean,  or  this  can   be  done  with  an  injection 

pump  and  several  pails  of  luke  warm  water  and  wash  it  out  thai 

way.     After  bathing,  wash  the  womb  with  the  following  lotion  : 

Sulphate  of  Zinc 1  teaspoonful. 

Sugar  of  Lead 1  " 

Powdered  Alum 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water,  and  with  a  sponge  rub  the 
inside  of  the  womb  with  this  lotion  every  second  day  till  the  dis- 
charge stops,  and  give  the  following  powders  : 


122  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Sulphate  of  Copper ^  pound.    ' 

Sulphate  of  Iron ^       " 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  in  her  feed  ;  feed  her 

on  rich  food   and   give   regular   exercise,  and,  as  a  general  thing, 

she  will  soon  be   all   right.      It   is    a  very  dangerous  thing   to   put 

the  mare  to  a  horse  while  she  has  this  disease,  as  the  horse  is  apt  to 

catch   it.      If  she   is,  and  the   horse   catches,  it   is   called   clap   or 

gonorrhoea. 

CLAP  (GONORRH(EA.) 

CilUSes. — From  a  horse  being  put  to  a  mare  that  is  diseased 
in  some  way. 

Symptoms. — The  horse's  penis  becomes  sore  and  swollen, 
and  there  is  a  slight  discharge  of  a  mattery  appearance.  If  the 
horse  is  put  to  the  mare  while  in  this  way,  he  will  give  the  disease 
to  the  mare  he  is  put  to. 

Treatment. —  See  that  the  horse  is    put   to    no   mares    until   he 

recovers  from  this  disease.      Wash  the  penis  off  with    luke  warm 

water  and  a  little  castile  soap  and  dry  with  a  soft,  cotton  cloth, 

then  apply  the  following  : 

Sulphate  of  Zinc , .  .2  drams  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Sugar  of  Lead 2  "       1 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  and  a  half  of  luke    warm  water  and  shake 

well  ;  saturate  the   penis  well    with    the    lotion    by    the    use  of  a 

sponge.      Bathe  and  apply  every  day  for  a  week  or  so  until  the 

animal  is  all  right.     Also  give  the  following  powder  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphate  of  Iron J       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      " 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in  his  feed. 

BARRENNESS  IN  THE  MARE. 

This  is  when  the  mare  will  not  breed. 

Causes.— From  enlarged  or  diseased  ovaries ;  from  a  contrac- 
tion or  closure  of  the  neck  of  the  womb,  or  from  the  neck  of  the 
womb  being  twisted  off  to  one  side. 

Symptoms. — The  mare  may  be  repeatedly  put  to  the  horse 
without  becoming  in  foal. 

Treatment.^ — In  a  case  of  this,  examine  the  neck  of  the  womb 
by  passing  your  hand  into  the  passage  to  the  neck  of  the  womb, 
and,  if  you  find  it  contracted,  or  closed,  open  it  by  working  your 
fingers  around  in  it  until  it  dilates  or  opens.  If  it  is  a  little  hard 
to  dilate,  saturate  a  sponge  with   extract  of  belladonna  and  carry 


DISEASES  AND  TBEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  123 

the  sponge  into  the  neck  of  the  womb  with  your  hand  and  squeeze 
out  the  medicine  around  the  neck  of  the  womb.  Leave  the  mare 
quiet  for  an  hour  after  this,  then  pass  in  your  hand  and  you  will 
find  that  the  medicine  has  relaxed  the  fibres  in  the  neck  of  the 
womb  and  you  can  easily  open  it  with  your  fingers.  After  the 
neck  of  the  womb  is  dilated,  or  opened,  put  the  mare  to  the 
horse,  and  you  will  generally  find  she  gets  in  foal.  If  it  is  a 
case  where  the  neck  of  the  womb  is  turned  off  to  one  side,  try  and 
straighten  it  with  your  hand  and  have  the  mare  immediately  put 
to  the  horse.  If  it  is  a  case  where  the  ovaries  are  diseased,  there 
can  be  nothing  done.  Sometimes  after  you  have  put  the  mare  to 
one  horse  several  times,  and  she  does  not  get  in  foal,  by  chang- 
ing the  horse  will  often  catch  her.  Mares  will  start  to  breed  as 
young  as  two  years  old  and  will  breed  as  old  as  twenty  years. 
Some  have  been  known  to  breed  older  than  this. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

FOALING  (PARTURITION)  AND  THE  DISEASES 
FOLLOWING  IT. 

The  mare,  after  being  put  to  the  horse  and  gets  in  foal,  usually 

carries  her  foal   eleven   months,    but  some   vary  a  few  days  less, 

while  others  may  go  as    long    as    twelve    months.     The  covering- 

around  the  foal  is  called  the  cleaning,  placenta,  or  after-birth,  and 

is  attached  to  the  inside  of  the  womb  to  the  little   processes  called 

villi,  connecting  the  after-birth,  and  the  foal  is  the  navel  string  or 

umbilical  cord.      Between   the  foal  and  the  after-birth  is  a  fluid 

(the  use  of  which  is  to  protect   the   foal    from   being  injured  while 

its  mother  is  moving  around).      This  fluid  is   called  the  amoniotic 

fluid. 

HOW  TO  TELL  WHEN  A  MARE  IS  WITH  FOAL. 

The  mare  becomes  quieter  in  disposition,  and  thrives  better  ; 
the  belly  gradually  becomes  distended,  and  at  the  end  of  the  sixth 
or  seventh  month,  after  the  mare  has  taken  a  drink  of  cold  water, 
the  foal  will  move  around.  On  account  of  the  foal  lying  to  the 
left  side,  the  moving  of  it  can  be  noticed  plainer  on  that  side  of 
the  mare  than  it  can  be  on  the  right  side.  Also,  another  way  to 
tell  is  by  oiling  the  hand  and  passing  it  into  the  passage  and  find 
out  if  the  neck  of  the   womb    is   sealed   and   tight.      In  some  cases 


124  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

you  can  feel  the  foal  in  the  womb,  at  the  same  time  you  are  ex- 
amining- the  neck.  This  is  the  surest  method  of  telling,  especially 
if  the  mare  is  only  in  foal  a  short  time  and  it  is  very  small. 
During  the  time  of  carrying  the  foal  the  mare  does  not  come  in 
season  every  three  weeks,  although  mares  have  been  known  to 
take  the  horse  and  still  be  with  foal. 

THE  WAY  TO  USE  A  MARE  WHEN  WITH  FOAL. 

Keep  her  in  her  natural  condition  as  nearly  as  possible.  Feed 
fairly  well,  although  it  is  not  well  to  have  her  too  fat.  Keep  her 
out  running  around  every  day  if  it  is  fine,  so  as  to  have  good 
exercise.  It  does  not  hurt  a  mare  to  work  her  as  long  as  the 
work  is  light  and  steady,  but  never  pull  her  too  heavy  or  back  her 
up  suddenly,  for  mares  often  lose  their  foal  by  doing'  this. 

SIGNS  OF  IMMEDIATE  FOALING. 

There  is  a  falling  away  at  each  side  of  the  tail  very  noticeable, 
and,  as  a  general  thing,  wax  or  milk  will  run  from  the  teats  for  a 
day  or  so  before  foaling.  A  few  hours  before  foaling  the  mare 
seems  to  be  very  uneasy  ;  labor  pains  come  on,  and  with  the 
pains  she  is  noticed  to  strain.  Very  soon  the  water  bag  appears, 
and  as  it  comes  the  pains  become  worse;  she  strains  and  lies  down. 
If  the  foal  is  coming  as  it  should,  the  head  and  front  feet  will 
make  their  appearance,  after  this  the  mare  should  be  delivered  of 
it  in  a  very  few  minutes.  If  the  mare  has  much  difficulty,  it  is 
well  to  pull  upon  the  legs  while  she  is  straining.  Generally  the 
cleaning  comes  away  with  the  foal.  The  foal  has  known  to  be 
smothered  when  the  cleaning  comes  away  without  being  broken, 
so  it  is  better  for  someone  to  be  around  during  the  time  the  mare 
is  foaling,  and  if  anything  should  occur  like  this,  break  the  clean- 
ing, or  after-birth,  and  save  the  foal  from  smothering-. 

NAVEL  STRING   (UMBILICAL  CORD). 

If  this  cord  does  not  break  immediately  after  foaling,  take  a 
piece  of  cord  and  tie  it  very  tightly  one  inch  from  the  belly,  then 
cut  the  navel  string  oflF  an  inch  below  where  it  is  tied  and  leave 
the  string  on  until  it  drops  off  ;  this  is  to  keep  it  from  bleeding. 

THE  NATURAL  WAY  FOR  THE  FOAL  TO  COME. 

The  foal  should  come  with  front  end  first,  with  the  front  feet 
and  head  coming  together. 


No.     I. 


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PLATE  IV.— POSITION  OF  FOAL   IN   WOMB. 


No.    2. 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  IV. 

POSITION  OF  FOAL  IN   WOMB. 
No.     I. 

This  cut  shows  the  natural  position  of  the  foal  lying-  in  tlie 
womb,  showing-  the  natural  way  it  should  come  out — front  ieg-s 
and  head  first — when  the  mare  is  foaling-. 

1.  ?savel  string-.  j  lo.   Cleaning',  placenta  or  afterbirtli. 

2.  Rump  bones.  ii.    Fluid,  or  water  around  the   foal. 

3.  Back  bowel,  or  rectum.  ;                 This  is  what  comes  out   when 

4.  Neck  of  womb.  I                 the  water-bag  breaks. 

5.  Vagina,    or    passage    out  from       !  12.    Navel. 

womb.  13.  Womb. 

6.  Vulva.  I  14.  Foal,  or  fcEtus. 

7.  Tail.  L  15.  Cleaning,  placenta  or  afterbii  tli. 

8.  Bladder.  |  16.  Womb. 

9.  Mare's   milk  bag,    or    Mammary   | 

glands.  I 


POSITION  OF   FOAL   IN  WOMB. 
No.     2. 

This  cut  shows  the  position  of  what  is  known  as  a  breech 
presentation ;  or,  in  other  words,  where  the  mare  is  foaling  and 
the  foal  is  coniing  backwards.  This  is  important  to  note,  for  if  a 
mare  is  foaling  and  the  foal  coming  backwards,  always  straighten 
the  hind  legs  out  first,  and  the  foal  will  come  away  all  right. 
When  the  foal  is  coming  backwards,  it  is  not  wise  to  try  to  turn 
it,  but  bring  it  away  as  shown  in  this  cut. 


SPECIAL  NOTICE.  —  Every  place  where  Tablespoonful  is 
mentioned  in  this  book  should  read :  Small,  or  Desert 
T.^BLESPOONFUL,   which   is  equal   to  two   Teaspoonfuls. 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  129 

DIFFICULTIES  MET  WITH  IN  A  MARE  FOALING. 
Sometimes  the  labor  pains  come  on  and  the  mare  wants  to 
foal,  but  the  neck  of  the  womb  remains  closed.  In  this  case,  oil 
your  hand,  enter  it  into  the  passage  to  the  womb  and,  in  some 
cases,  you  can  open  the  neck  of  the  womb  very  easily  by  pressing 
it  open  with  your  fingers.  If  it  is  hard  to  open,  saturate  a  sponge 
with  extract  of  belladonna  and  rub  it  around  the  neck  of  the  womb, 
leave  it  for  a  little  while  and  you  will  soon  find  it  easily  opened! 
In  a  case  where  the  front  legs  and  head  appear,  and  the  foal  does 
not  seem  to  come  any  further  with  her  straining,  use  gentle  force 
by  pulling  on  the  legs  and  head,  and  if  this  does  not  bring  the 
foal  you  may  come  to  the  conclusion  there  is  something  wrong. 
In  this  case,  oil  your  arm,  or  take  warm  water  and  soap,  so  as  t^o 
make  your  hand  and  arm  slippery,  shove  the  foal  back  into  the 
womb  and  give  it  a  thorough  examination  and  find  out  what  is 
wrong.  If  it  is  a  case  where  there  is  dropsy  of  the  belly  (that  is 
where  the  belly  is  swollen  up  with  water),  take  a  sharp  knife  and 
pass  it  back  in  (guarded  by  the  hand  so  as  not  to  injure  the  mare) 
to  the  foal's  belly  and  then  cut  a  small  hole,  large  enough  for  the 
water  to  run  out,  start  the  legs  and  head  again  into  the  passage 
and  she  will  soon  foal  if  she  is  given  a  little  assistance. 

Sometimes  the  foal's  head  is  enlarged  with  water  on  the  brain. 
In  this  case  the  foal  will  come  out  so  far  that  only  the  legs  and 
the  point  of  the  nose  will  be  seen.  After  using  a  little  force,  and 
it  will  not  come,  shove  the  foal  back  and  feel  the  state  of  the  head 
If  It  is  enlarged  take  a  sharp  knife  and  cut  a  hole  in  the  softest 
part  of  the  enlargement  and  allow  the  water  to  escape  from  the 
bram.  Now,  by  giving  the  mare  a  little  assistance,  you  will  find 
it  to  come  all  right. 

The  foal  may  come  in  various  positions.  We  sometimes 
have  a  case  where  the  head  and  one  front  leg  comes  out  and  the 
mare  cannot  foal.  In  this  case  shove  the  foal  back  and  bring  the 
leg  that  is  not  up,  forward,  and  you  will  find  she  will  foal  all 
right  The  front  legs  sometimes  come  without  the  head,  the 
head  being  turned  back.  In  this  case  shove  the  foal  back,  tike  a 
small  piece  of  rope,  four  or  five  feet  long,  make  a  noose  and  slip  it 
over  the  foal's  head  onto  his  neck,  have  an  assistant  to  pull  on  the 
rope  while  you  use  your  arm  and  hand  in  helping  to  straighten 
the  neck  and  head,  when  this  is  straight,  have  the  assistant  to 
pull  on  the  rope  while  you  pull  on  the  legs,  and  you  will  find  the 

—0— 


130  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCB. 

foal  to  come  all  right.  Sometimes  the  head  and  neck  will  come, 
and  the  front  legs  are  turned  back.  ]„  this  case  shove  the  foal 
well  back  and  catch  the  front  legs  and  bring  them  forward,  then 
pull  on  the  legs  and  the  foal  will  come  all  right. 

Sometimes  its  four  legs  will  come  together  and  the  head 
turned  back.  In  this  case  shove  the  front  legs  back  into  the 
womb  as  far  as  you  can  with  your  hand  and  arm,  and  then  bring 
the  foal  out  backwards  by  pulling  on  the  hind  legs.  Never, 
under  any  consideration,  attempt  to  bring  the  foal  head  first  in 
this  case. 

The  foal  sometimes  comes  backwards,  and  if  the  hind  legs 
come  out  first,  the  foal  generally  comes  out  all  right.  When  the 
foal  is  coming  backwards,  and  the  legs  do  not  come  out  as  they 
should,  and  you  feel  nothing  but  the  tail,  rump  and  hips  of  the 
foal,  the  hind  legs  being  turned  in  under,  it  is  a  ralher  difficult 
job,  but  it  can  be  done  all  right  by  shoving  the  hind  end  of  the 
foal  upwards  and  towards  the  front  of  the  womb,  then  slipping 
the  hand  down  and  getting  hold  of  the  foot  of  the  hind  leg  and 
lifting  upward  and  backward  until  you  can  bring  the  leg  out  into 
the  passage,  then  reach  down  the  hand  and  get  hold  of  the  other 
leg  and  bring  it  out  as  you  did  the  first  one,  then  the  foal  will 
come  away  backwards  all  right. 

As  well  as  different  positions,  we  meet  with  what  are  known 
as  deformities,  or  freaks  of  nature.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  on 
account  of  never  meeting  hardly  two  cases  of  the  same  kind,  you 
will  have  to  make  a  thorough  examination  and  use  your  judgment 
as  to  the  best  way  of  getting  out,  and  act  on  the  plans  given  in 
the  different  positions. 

In  case  of  having  difficulty  with  twin  foals  always  examine 
the  case  thoroughly,  and  which  ever  foal  is  the  nearest  to  the 
back  deliver  him  first,  and  as  well  as  this,  before  pulling  on  the 
legs,  always  be  sure  you  are  not  pulling  on  a  leg  of  each  foal. 
After  delivering  the  first  foal  the  last  one  comes  very  easily. 
In  any  case  where  you  have  to  shove  the  foal  back  into  the 
womb  it  is  well  to  raise  the  mare's  hind  end  up  by  making  her 
stand  on  manure  or  boards,  as  this  has  a  tendency  to  help  the 
foal  to  go  forwards.  Avoid  using  hooks  and  knives,  as  you  are 
apt  to  injure  the  womb.  It  is  always  best  to  use  your  hands  and 
pieces  of  fine  rope. 

You  may  always  make  up  your  mind  that  if  a  mare  is  not  de- 
livered of  her  foal  in  half  an  hour,  or   thereabouts,  after  the  water 


DISEASES  A^'D  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  131 

bag  has  come  out  that  there  is  something"  wrong;  for  a  mare,  il 
everything  is  all  right,  foals  in  a  very  few  minutes.  It  is  best 
then,  to  make  an  examination,  and,  if  anything  is  wrong,  fix 
it  right  away,  for  it  is  a  great  deal  easier  to  do  it  then  than  after 
the  mare  has  been  sick  a  couple  of  hours.  If  anything  that  is 
wrong  is  attended  to  at  once  you  often  save  the  mare's  life 
as  well  as  the  life  of  the  foal. 


TROUBLES  AND  DISEASES  WHICH  FOLLOW 
AFTER  FOALING. 

CLEANING  PLACENTA  OR  AFTER-BIRTH. 

In  some  cases  we  find  that  the  mare  does  not  clean  properly, 
and  part  of  the  cleaning  remains  attached  to  the  inside  of  the 
womb,  and  it  will  be  left  hanging  out  behind. 

Treatment. — Try  the  following  medicine.     Give  her  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  pint. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 25  to  30  drops. 

Shake  well  together  and  give  as  a  drench  and  place  a  half- 
pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  grain  bag  over  the  kidneys,  also  throw  a 
blanket  over  this  to  keep  in  the  heat,  and  keep  the  mare  quiet  for 
a  few  hours  and  she  will  generally  clean  herself  and  save  the 
bother  of  removing  it  with  the  hand.  If  this  does  not  cause  it  to 
come  away,  leave  it  for  twenty-four  hours  after  foaling,  and  have 
the  mare  held  by  the  head  and  also  one  of  the  front  legs  held 
up  so  she  cannot  kick,  have  another  assistant  to  hold  the  tail  out  of 
the  way,  roll  up  your  sleeves  and  oil  your  right  arm  and  hand, 
take  hold  of  the  cleaning  with  your  left  hand  while  you  pass  the 
right  one  into  where  the  cleaning  is  attached  to  the  womb,  com- 
mence at  the  top,  gradually  forcing  the  cleaning  off  the  inside  of 
the  womb.  When  once  you  get  it  started,  work  it  all  off  by  gent'^' 
pulling,  and  the  mare,  as  a  general  thing,  will  be  all  right. 

AFTER  PAINS. 

These  are  the  labor  pains  continued  after  the  foal  is  out  of  the 
womb. 

Symptoms. — The  mare  will  be  in  pain,  lie  down  and  get  up 
and  strain  some. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  mare  quiet,  and  watch  her  that  she 
does  not  force  her  foal  bed  out,  and  give  the  following  to  relieve 
j^er  pains  : 


132  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  "      4  " 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Mix  in  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every  hour  and 
a  half  or  two  hours  until  the  mare  is  relieved.  Cover  the  body 
well  and  place  a  half-pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  over  the  kid- 
neys and  give  her  a  hot  bran  mash. 

FOAL  BED  TURNED  OUT. 

This  trouble  is  mentioned  in  connection  with  putting  out  of 
the  calf  bed  in  the  cow,  where  it  is  specially  dealt  with.  The 
causes  and  treatment  are  the  same  in  both  cases.  This  trouble  is 
rarely  met  with  in  the  mare,  but  is  very  common  with  the  cow. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  WOMB. 

This  is  generally  a  very  serious  trouble. 

Causes. — From  a  mare  while  the  labor  pains  are  on,  and  she 
is  in  great  distress,  throwing  herself  heavily  on  the  ground  or 
floor.      This  is  generally  the  way  this  trouble  is  caused. 

Symptoms. — Sometimes,  even  before  the  foal  is  born,  you 
will  find  the  mare's  bowels  hanging  out,  and,  in  some  cases, 
dragging  on  the  ground,  and  the  mare  will  be  in  severe  pain. 
While  in  other  cases  you  will  find  the  rupture  while  you  are 
examining  around  the  foal  in  the  womb,  while  again,  if  you  sus- 
pect rupture  after  the  mare  has  foaled,  you  can  find  it  by  examin- 
ing the  womb,  it  may  be  large  or  small.  In  cases  where  the 
bowels  are  hanging  out  and  she  is  in  severe  pain,  it  is  best  to 
destroy  the  animal  to  relieve  her  other  pain  as  soon  as  you  can,  for 
there  can  be  nothing  done  to  save  her  life  In  other  cases  of  rup- 
ture, after  the  foal  has  been  taken  away  and  you  put  in  your  hand 
to  see  that  everything  is  all  right,  you  will  find  the  womb  to  be 
ruptured.  It  may  be  ruptured  in  any  part,  or  of  any  size.  This 
is  very  serious,  but  cases  have  been  known  where  they  got  better 
when  the  womb  was  torn  on  the  upper  side. 

Treatment. — Try  and  keep  down  the  inflammation  by  applying 

heat  to  the  body  in  the  way  of  blankets  and  hot   salt  in  a  bag  over 

the  back,  and  it  is  well  in  some  cases   to  apply   a  coat  of  mustard 

over  the  belly  and  give  the  following  medicine  ; 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits   of  Nitre 1         "  4  " 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  everv 
six  hours  until  the  mare  is  relieved.      It   is   well  to  chanee  the  salt 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  ISP, 

€very  hour,  so  as  to  keep  up  the  heat.  If  she  wishes  to  eat,  feed 
her  soft  feed  with  plenty  of  boiled  flax  seed  in  it  to  keep  the  bowels 
loose.  In  regard  to  the  treatment  of  the  rupture,  it  if  best  to 
leave  it  alone  and  let  nature  itself  heal  it  up,  because,  in  opening 
up  the  passage  and  bathing  the  womb  and  putting  in  medicine,  it 
allows  the  air  to  pass  through  the  tear  onto  the  bowels,  and  also 
the  medicine  and  the  water  will  leak  through  onto  the  bowels,  and 
with  these  things  getting  in  around  the  bowels  it  does  a  great  deal 
more  harm  than  good.  If  the  bowels  get  costive,  give  raw  linseed 
oil  in  drenches  of  a  pint,  and  also  give  injections  of  warm  water 
and  a  little  soap  twice  a  day  until  the  bowels  commence  to  work 
freely. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  PASSAGE. 

Causes.— It  generally  occurs  in  foaling  and  is  done  by  the  legs 
of  the  foal  in  coming  out  through  the  passage  if  not  coming 
straight,  or  where  the  foal  is  too  large  for  the  passage. 

Symptoms. — In  some  cases,  where  the  mare  tries  to  foal  her- 
selfj  you  will  find  the  legs  out— one  out  the  natural  passage, 
while  the  other  is  out  through  the  anus.  In  other  cases,  where 
the  mare  has  foaled  and  is  appare-^tly  all  right,  you  will  first  notice 
the  manure  coming  out  through  the  vulva  instead  of  its  natural 
passage.  Oil  3'our  hand  and  arm,  pass  them  into  the  vulva  and 
examine  the  passage  thoroughly,  and  if  it  is  ruptured  you  will  find 
a  tear  somewhere  on  the  walls  of  the  passage,  and  it  will  generally 
be  found  on  the  upper  side  of  the  passage,  between  it  and  the 
rectum. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  in  a  case  where  the  foal  is  coming  out, 
and  is  caught  with  one  leg  in  each  passage,  oil  your  hand  and 
shove  the  legs  back  into  the  womb  and  then  bring  them  both  out 
of  the  right  passage.  After  this  keep  the  mare  very  quiet  and 
feed  on  soft  feed  with  plenty  of  flax  seed  in  it,  and  if  it  is  in  the 
spring  of  the  year  let  her  have  grass.  If  the  bowels  seem  to  be 
costive,  give  her  small  doses  of  linseed  oil,  half  a  pint  at  a  time, 
so  as  not  to  make  the  bowels  too  loose ;  also,  if  the  mare  seems 
feverish  and  swollen  behind,  give  one  ounce  or  four  tablespoonfuls 
of  tincture  of  laudanum  along  with  each  dose  of  oil  Don't  try 
to  stitch  up  the  rupture,  but  simply  inject  the  passage  with  a  half- 
pailful  of  warm  water  and  soap  with  twenty  drops  of  carbolic  acid 
in  it.  When  this  is  injected  in  the  rectum,  it  flows  down  through 
the  rupture  and  cleanses  and  helps  it  to  heal;   repeat  the  injections 


134  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

twice  a  day  and  feed  on  soft  food.  In  cases  of  this  kind  it  is  best 
not  to  depend  on  medicine,  but  allow  nature  to  do  most  of  the 
work. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  WOMB  (METRITIS). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  substance  of  the  womb. 

Causes. — From  difficult  cases  of  foaling,  where  there  is  a  great 
deal  of  force  used.  Exposure  after  foaling,  lying  on  the  damp 
ground,  or  it  might  be  caused  from  a  mare  getting  a  chill  while 
she  is  warm  after  foaling. 

Symptoms. — it  usually  occurs  three  or  four  days  after  foaling. 
There  is  uneasiness,  pain,  and  sometimes  straining,  and  in  strain- 
ing sometimes  a  dark  red  fluid  will  pass  from  her.  She  will  also 
be  noticed  to  lie  down  and  moan  and  will  look  around  at  her 
flanks,  her  pulse  is  quick  and  wiry,  her  ears  and  legs  will  be  hot, 
and  then  change  to  cold,  cold  sweats  will  appear  around  her  sides 
and  flanks  ;  the  vulva  will  be  swollen,  and  she  will  pass  urine  or 
water  in  small  quantities. 

Treatment.— Give 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  12  drops. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  then 
apply  blankets,  wrung  out  of  hot  water,  over  the  kidneys;  after 
this  is  taken  off",  apply  a  mustard  plaster.  If  the  bowels  are  costive, 
*j;-ive  injections  of  warm  water  and  soap,  and  give  a  physic,  consist- 
ing of  one  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil.  Wash  the  womb  out  once  a 
day  with  warm  water  with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  it,  about 
ten  drops  to  a  pint  of  water.  Alter  the  first  drench,  if  she  does  not 
seem  relieved,  follow  up  with  the  following  drench  : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespooufuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1         "         4  " 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench 
every  three  hours  until  the  animal  seems  relieved.  Give  her  plenty 
of  warm  water  to  drink,  feed  on  soft  food,  keep  her  warm,  and 
see  that  the  foal  keeps  her  well  sucked  out.  This  disease  some- 
times terminates  in  leucorrhoea,  or  whites. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  VAGINA  AND  VULVA,  OR   PASSAGE   OUT  FROM 

THE   WGMB. 

Causes. — It  generally  comes  after  difficult  cases  of  foaling. 
Symptoms. — The  vulva  is  generally  ver)'   much   swollen,   and 
the  inside  of  the  lining  is  of  a  red  color. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  KORSE.  135 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil  to 
loosen  up  the  bowels,  and  keep  them  loosened  up  well  by  feeding 
soft  feed  with  lots  of  boiled  flax  seed.  If  in  the  spring  of  the  year, 
feed  her  mostly  on  fresh  grass.  Bathe  the  outside  of  the  vulva 
with  warm  water,  and  tap  the  lips  of  the  vulva  with  a  sharp  knite 
in  a  few  places  where  they  are  swollen  ;  this  will  let  the  water  run 
out  and  bring  down  the  swelling.  Each  time  after  bathing,  three 
times  a  day,  apply  the  white  lotion. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  HIPS  DURING  FOALING. 

Symptoms. — The  mare  will  be  stiff,  and  there  will  be  a  falling 
away  of  the  muscles  on  the  affected  side. 

Treatment. — Bathe  the  muscles  of  the  hip  where  it  is  fallen 
away,  with  warm  water  and  salt  every  second  day  ;  rub  the  parts 
dry  with  a  cloth  and  apply  the  acid  liniment.  Continue  this 
treatment  every  second  day  until  the  s'iffness  disappears,  and  the 
muscles  gain  their  natural  size.  During  the  treatment  let  her  run 
out  to  pasture  as  she  needs  gentle  exercise.  In  this  case,  it 
generally  takes  some  time  for  complete  recovery. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  MILK  BAG  (GARGET). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  glands  which  secrete  the  milk;  it 
is  not  so  common  in  mares  as  it  is  in  cows. 

Causes. — It  is  cau>ed  from  getting  cold,  by  lying  on  the  cold, 
damp  ground  in  the  fall  or  spring,  or  from  the  foal  not  sucking 
properly,  or  from  an  injury  of  any  kind. 

Symptoms. — The  bag  will  be  hard,  hot  and  tender,  and 
swollen  some,  she  will  be  noticed  not  to  be  feeding,  seems  feverish 
and  her  bag  is  very  sore  when  handled,  and  the  milk  is  thin, 
watery  looking,  and  mixed  with  curdy  looking  milk  which  will 
come  out  in  jerks  when  you  are  milking  her. 
Treatment. — Give  as  a  drench  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Nitrate  of  Potash,  or  Siltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite    5  di'ops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  but 
if  the  bowels  seem  costive,  mix  in  a  pint  of  linseed  oil  instead  of 
water.  Bathe  the  bag  well  with  warm  water  and  vinegar,  if  the 
weather  is  warm,  and  apply  the  white  linmient;  weaken  the 
liniment  down  half  strength  with  water;  after  applying  the 
liniment  oil  the  bag  all  over  with  goose  oil.  Do  this  three  or  four 
times  a  day,  and  if  the  animal  is  in  much  pain  do  it  oftener.  See 
that  the  bag  is  kept  well   milked  out,  either  by  the  foal  or  by  the 


136  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

hand.  In  cases  where  it  is  not  taken  in  time  it  ends  up  with 
festering-  of  the  bag.  In  this  case  the  bag  will  continue  to  swell, 
the  milk  dries  up  and  the  bag  will  be  very  sore;  matter  will  form 
in  the  bag-  and  it  will  come  to  a  head.  Treat  by  bathing  with  warm 
water  and  vinegar  and  apply  liniment  and  goose  grease  after- 
wards. This  will  have  a  tendency  to  bring  it  to  a  head  so  it  will 
be  fit  to  lance.  The  way  to  tell  when  it  is  fit  to  lance  is  to  leel 
around  until  you  find  a  soft  spot  in  the  swelling,  then  open  it  with 
a  lance  or  sharp  knife  at  the  soft  place  so  as  to  allow  the  matter 
to  escape.  After  this  keep  bathing  with  warm  water  and  vinegar 
lour  or  five  times  a  day  and  use,  instead  of  the  liniment,  the  white 
lotion.  In  severe  cases  of  this  kind  it  is  best  to  take  the  foal 
away  for  a  while  as  the  milk  is  not  good,  and  is  apt  to  sicken  the 
foal. 

SWELLING  ALONG  THE  BELLY  BEFORE  FOALING  (DROPSY). 

This  swelling  commences  at  the  bag  three  or  four  weeks 
before  foaling  and  continues  gradually  swelling  forwards  until  the 
swelling  extends  out  between  the  front  legs,  but  the  mare  does 
not  seem  at  all  sick,  eats  and  seems  as  well  as  ever. 

Treatmsnt. —  if  the  mare  is  used  to  being  in  the  stable,  turn 

her  out  and   let  her  have  lots  of  exercise  every  day  and  give  the 

following  powders 

Xitrate  of  Potasx    or  Saltpetre }  pound. 

Sulphur ^       " 

'riound  rientian  Root ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day 
in  her  feed  until  she  foals. 

This  is  not  a  serious  disease,  but  it  is  well  to  look  after  it 
before  it  gets  too  bad.  It  generally  gets  all  right  as  soon  as  the 
mare  foals. 

MARES  LOOSING  THEIR  FOALS  (ABORTION). 

This  is  most  often  seen  in  mares  before  the  sixth  month  of 
being  with  foal,  but  may  occur  afte    that. 

Causes. — From  a  slip;  from  dr-  ^ving  too  heavy,  or  backing  a 
heavy  load;  or  the  smell  or  sight  of  o.ood  will  cause  it. 

Symptoms. — The  mare  will  be  try  restless,  get  up  and  down, 
walk  around  until  the  labor  pains  come  on,  which  soon  causes  the 
water  bag  to  come  out  and  break,  then  the  front  legs  and  head  of 
the  foal  will  appear,  and  she  will  soon  be  delivered  of  the  foal. 

Treatment. —  In  case  the  foal  should  not  be  coming  straight, 
straiL'hten  it  and  take  it  awav,  then  give  the  following  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  137 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  ounce  or    4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  g'ive  as  a  drench.  In  case  inflammation  of  the  womb 
should  follow  abortion,  refer  to  the  treatment  of  inflammation  of  the 
womb. 


CHAPTER  X. 

DISEASES  AND  TROUBLES  OF  YOUNG  FOALS. 

CONSTIPATION  IN  YOUNG  FOALS. 

It  is  sometimes  a  troublesome  thing  in  a  very  young  foal  to 
get  his  bowels  to  move. 

Causes. — Foals  of  a  mare  fed  on  very  dry  feed  and  foaling 
early  are  often  troubled  in  this  way,  or  foals  not  getting  their 
mother's  first  milk. 

Symptoms. — The  foal  will  be  noticed  to  be  fuller  than  usual  ; 
he  does  not  seem  to  care  to  suck  ;  he  will  strain  as  if  wanting  to 
pass  something  but  nothing  comes.  In  some  cases  he  will  lie 
down  and  look  around  at  the  side  as  if  in  pain. 

Treatment. — Get  a  small  syringe  ar.d  give  small  injections  of 
luke  warm  water  with  a  little  raw  linseed  oil  in  it  ;  give  these  in- 
jections three  or  four  times  a  day.  In  cases  where  the  manure 
balls  are  hard  and  large,  it  is  necessary  to  oil  the  finger,  pass  it  up 
into  the  rectum  and  remove  them.  Be  a  little  cautious  not  to 
irritate  the  bowels  too  much.  Do  this  every  time  before  giving 
an  injection.  Give  him  on  his  tongue  a  tablespoonful  of  raw 
linseed  oil  and  a  teaspoonful  of  whisky  mixed  well  together  ;  give 
this  three  times  a  day  until  the  bowels  move  and  the  colt  seems 
better.  You  will  have  to  use  your  own  judgment  as  to  the 
amount  of  oil  and  whisky  given,  according  to  the  size  and  strength 
of  the  colt.  The  above  is  for  a  colt  a  day  or  two  old.  Keep  him 
warm  and  comfortable,  and  keep  the  mare  milked  out  so  that  he 
will  not  get  too  much  milk. 

DIARRHCEA  IN  YOUNG  FOALS. 

Cause::.. — From  allowing  the  foal  to  be  out  and  lie  on  the 
damp  ground  too  soon  after  foaling  ;  exciting  the  foal,  caused 
from  the  mare  being  turned  in  with  other  horses  and  running 
around  a  great  deal;  from  the  mother's  milk  being  too  rich  or  too 
poor,  or  sucking  the  mother  while  she  is  hot,  after  working. 


138  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — The  colt  is  noticed  to  pass  a  thin,  watery  dis- 
charge from  the  anus  which  sticks  around  his  tail  and  legs.  He 
does  not  suck  much  and  soon  becomes  gaunt  and  dull,  and  in 
some  cases  he  will  be  griped. 

Treatment. — Remove  the  cause  if  you  can  find   it.      Keep  the 

mare  and  foal  very  quiet,  and  if  it  is  from    the   milk   being   poor, 

feed  the  mare  a  little  heavier,  or  if  you  think  it  too  rich,   feed  the 

mare  a  little  lighter.      Give  the  foal: 

Whisky 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Tincture  of  Liud  mum 20  drops. 

Flour 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  with  a  little  of  the  mother's  milk  and  give  every  four  or 

five  hours  until  the  foal  is  relieved.      In  all  cases  of  this  kind  keep 

the  body  warm,  as  it  has  a  tendency  to  relieve  the  congested  state 

of  the  bowels.      This  is  a  dose  for  a  small  foal  two  or  three  days 

old,  so  you  must  use  your  judgment  in  giving  it   to  an  older  colt. 

LEAKING  OF  THE  NAVEL  AND  RHEUMATISM  IN  YOUNG  FOALS. 

Causes. — It  is  supposed  to  be  due  to  a  germ  getting  in  at  the 
navel  string,  while  others  say  it  is  caused  from  a  cold,  a  chill  or  an 
injury. 

Symptoms. — The  foal  will  be  first  noticed  to  be  lame  in  one 
hind  leg,  and  some  of  the  joints  will  be  swollen  and  sore  to  handle; 
when  he  goes  to  make  water  it  will  come  out  through  the  navel 
string.  The  next  day  the  swelling  in  that  leg  may  be  moved  into 
one  of  the  other  legs.  After  the  rheumatism  has  moved  around 
from  leg  to  leg  for  a  few  days  it  will  be  noticed  to  settle  in  one  of 
the  joints,  then  it  will  fester  and  break,  and  the  matter  that  runs 
away  will  smell  very  bad  and  seems  to  come  from  the  bone.  After 
it  ceases  to  run  where  it  festered  and  broke,  and  is  healing  up,  it 
will  be  noticed  to  settle  in  another  joint,  break  and  run,  and  will 
keep  on  breaking  and  running  in  diff"erent  places  until  the  colt  is 
so  weak  that  he  dies.  In  other  cases  the  joints  swell  and  do  not 
break,  but  there  is  a  continual  running  from  the  navel,  and  on 
account  of  this  running  so  much  he  gets  weak  and  soon  dies. 

Treatment. — When  the  leaking  is  first  noticed,  if  treated 
properly  it  can  be  cured.  Apply  Monsell's  solution  of  iron  to  the 
navel  with  a  feather  four  or  five  times  a  day,  this  will  stop  the 
leaking;  and  rub  the  swollen  joints  four  or  five  times  a  day  with 
white  liniment,  and  give  the  foal  half  a  teaspoonful  of  salicylic 
acid  on  the  tongue  three  times  a  day.      If  this  is  taken   in  time, 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  139 

before  the  joints  begin  to  run,  this  will  invariably  effect  a  cure. 
After  the  joints  break,  bathe  with  warm  water  three  or  four  times 
a  day,  dnd  apply  white  lotion.  Sometimes  we  have  a  pure  ^ase 
of  leaking  at  the  navel  without  rheumatism  ;  in  this  case,  treat  by 
applying  Monsell's  solution  of  iron  to  the  navel  with  a  feather  four 
or  five  times  a  day  until  it  stops  leaking  ;  also  keep  the  colt  very 
quiet  and  warm. 

WEAKNESS  IN  THE  LEGS  AND  JOINTS  OF  A  YOUNG  FOAL. 
Bandage  the  legs  to  support  and   strengthen  them,  and  also 
give  them  a  good  hand  rubbing.      If  he  is  down  and  cannot  get  up, 
raise  him  up  four  or  five  times  a  day  to  suck,  and  give  him  every 
chance  to  strengthen  his  legs. 

CROOKEDNESS  OF  THE  LEGS  OF  YOUNG  FOALS. 

In  some  cases  they  will  be  over  on  the  knees,  w'hile  in  others 
they  will  be  crooked  in  the  hind  legs. 

Treatment. — Leave  the  foal  alone;  do  not  try  to  do  anything 
to  the  legs.  Feed  him  well,  and  as  he  gets  strong  his  legs  will 
straighten. 

DISTEMPER  IN  YOUNG  FOALS. 

This  is  frequently  met  with  in  foals,  and  is  fully  dealt  with  in 
"  Distemper  or  Strangles." 

CHAPTER  XI. 

CASTRATION,  DISEASES  AND  TROUBLES 
FOLLOWING  IT. 

The  best  age  to  perform  this  operation  is  at  one  year  old— 
during  the  months  of  April  and  May,  these  being  the  safest  months, 
after  the  colt  has  been  turned  to  pasture  for  eight  or  ten  days  and 
is  shedding  his  coat. 

PRECAUTIONS  BEFORE  OPERATING. 

Never  operate  on  a  colt  unless  he  is  in  good  condition  and 
healthy.  See  that  he  has  no  distemper  or  any  such  disease ;  also 
have  good  weather — not  too  hot  or  too  cold — and  avoid  east 
winds  and  damp  weather.  Have  your  hands  and  instruments 
thoroughly  clean,  by  washing  them  in  warm  water,  a  little  soap 
and  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid.  If  the  horse  is  older  than  a  year 
old,  it  is  best  to  feed  very  light  the  day  before  the  operation  so  his 


140 


THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 


bowels  will  be  empty,  as  it  makes  it  easier  on  the  horse  when  he 
is  thrown  down  and  tied.  Before  throwing-  the  colt  down,  satisfy 
yourself  by  examining-  and  asking  if  the  colt  has  had  any  rup- 
ture; if  he  is  ruptured  he  will  have  to  be  operated  on  differently. 
It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  examine  if  both  testicles  are  down  before 
throwing  the  animal.  In  aged  horses,  if  the  sheath  is  dirty  it  is 
best  to  wash  it  out  and  oil  it  well  with  lard  a  few  days  before 
operating;   it  often  prevents  swelling  after  castrating-. 

THROWING  OR  CASTING  THE  ANIMAL  FOR  THE  OPERATION. 

There  are  various  ways  of  doing  this — some  use  the  belt 
tackling,  others  use  Farmer  Miles'  tackling- — but  the  simplest  and 
most  used  in  this  country  is  the  rope  tackling,  as  shown  in  cut 
below.      This  tackling  consists  of  about  forty  feet  of  rope,  f  inch 


rope  will  do  if  good;  make  a  loop  by  doubling  it  in  the  centre, 
tie  a  knot  and  slip  the  loop  over  the  head,  pass  the  ends  of  the 
rope  back,  one  on  each  side,  and  run  the  rope  through  the  ring- 
in  the  hind  hobble,  which  is  made  out  of  heavy,  thick  straps,  and 
buckles  on  the  hind  leg  below  the  fetlock,  and  has  a  ring  in  front  of 
it  to  run  the  rope  through.  This  hobble  is  better  than  putting 
the  rope  around  under  the  fetlock,  as  the  rope  burns  the  leg. 
Pass  the  rope  forward  after  it  is  put  through  the  ring  in  the 
hobble  up  to  the  neck  and  through  the  loop  at  the  neck.  Have  a 
man  hold  the  head  while  one  on  each  side  pulls  on  the  rope,  same 
as  seen  in  the  cut ;  this  will  throw  the  animal.  Now  tie  him 
securely  so  that  he  will  not  hurt  himself,  then  proceed  with  the 
operation. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  141 

The  Farmer  Miles'  tackling"  is  not  used  much  for  castrating- 
common  colts,  but  is  used  to  cut  ridg'ling'  or  rig"  colts.  This  is 
where  the  testicles  are  up  in  the  belly  and  cannot  be  found  in  the 
bag.  This  is  the  only  throwing  tackling"  that  can  be  used  in  this 
kind  of  an  operation.  The  belt  tackling  is  a  good  one,  but  it  is 
rather  expensive  for  a  man  who  does  only  a  few  colts. 

OPERATING  WITH  THE  CLAMPS. 

The  clamps  are  generally  made  out  of  cedar,  and  are  about 
from  4  to  5  inches  long,  hollowed  out  in  the  centre  and  loaded  with 
green  salve,  the  receipt  of  which  is  at  the  back  of  the  book.  Tie 
one  end  of  the  clamp  with  strong  carriage  trimmers'  twine,  leave 
the  other  end  loose.  Now,  take  hold  of  the  testicle  with  the  left 
hand  and  cut  into  the  scrotum,  or  bag,  with  a  sharp  knife,  close 
to  the  median  raphe.  Always  have  your  knife  sharp,  and  make  a 
good  large  cut  so  as  to  allow  the  testicle  to  slip  out,  then  take 
hold  of  the  testicle  with  the  left  hand  and  the  clamp  with  the 
right  and  slip  it  over  the  cord,  draw  the  cord  just  moderately 
tight  and  spread  it  out  in  the  clamp  then  tighten  the  clamp  at  the 
end  that  is  not  tied  with  a  castrating  pincers,  also  tie  this  end 
good  and  tight  with  the  twine  mentioned.  Now,  take  off  the 
pincers  and  operate  on  the  other  testicle  the  same  as  the  first  one, 
then  cut  off  the  testicles  and  part  of  the  cord  below  the  clamps, 
leaving  about  half  an  inch  of  the  cord  below  the  clamps  ;  this  will 
help  to  prevent  the  clarnps  from  slipping  off.  The  clamps  are 
considered  the  best  way  to  operate. 

OPERATING  WITH   THE  ECRASEUR. 

This  is  a  new  method  of  operating,  and  has  met  with  very 
good  results  in  most  cases.  There  are  no  clamps  used  in  this 
method.  Let  the  testicles  out  the  same  as  if  you  were  going  to 
operate  with  the  clamps.  Then  slip  the  testicle  through  the  chain 
at  the  end  of  the  ecraseur,  and  screw  it  up  until  it  squeezes  it  off. 
This  closes  up  the  end  of  the  artery  in  the  cord  and  prevents 
bleeding.  It  is  always  best  to  operate  on  one  at  a  time,  although 
some  operators  take  off  both  at  the  same  time,  but  there  is  more 
danger  of  bleeding.  Pour  sweet  oil,  with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic 
acid,  into  the  cuts  and  let  the  animal  up.  Use  two  drops  of 
carbolic  acid  to  one  ounce  or  four  tablespoonfuls  of  sweet  oil. 


142  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

OPERATING  BY  SEARING. 
This  method  is  used  in  some  places,  and  is  performed  by 
letting  the  testicles  out  and  putting  on  an  iron  clamp  in  the  same 
place  as  a  wooden  one.  Cut  the  cord  off  close  to  the  clamp,  and 
have  a  hot  iron,  dip  it  in  oil,  and  burn  the  end  of  the  cord  and 
artery  ;  this  sears  it  and  prevents  it  from  bleeding.  Now  remove 
the  iron  clamp  and  operate  on  the  other  testicle  in  the  same  way. 
By  oiling  the  hot  iron  it  keeps  it  from  sticking  to  the  cord  and 
pulling  off  the  scab. 

OPERATING  WITH  LIGATURES. 
This  way  is  not  much  used  for  horses,  but  is  a  very  good 
method  for  bulls  and  boars.  In  this  method  the  testicles  are  let 
out  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  other  ways,  and  the  cords  are 
tied  with  a  strong  piece  of  twine  to  prevent  bleeding,  and  cut  off 
just  below  where  they  are  tied.  But  of  all  these  methods  of 
castrating  we  think  the  safest  and  best  is  the  clamps.  If  the  colt 
is  ruptured  it  requires  a  more  careful  operation,  which  will  be  fully 
described  in  connection  with  scrotal  hernia. 

HOW  TO  TREAT  THE  COLT  AFTER  CASTRATION. 

If  the  weather  is  chilly,  damp  or  east  winds,  keep  the  colt  in 
at  nights,  in  a  box  stall,  clean  and  well  bedded,  turn  him  out 
every  day  that  is  fine  and  let  him  have  nothing  but  grass  to  eat. 
If  the  operation  was  done  with  the  clamps  remove  them  the  second 
day,  and  in  cutting  them  off  cut  the  string  on  the  front  end, 
spread  the  clamp  well  apart  in  the  front  so  as  to  allow  it  to  drop  off 
the  cord  ;  in  doing  this  be  very  careful  not  to  pull  down  the  cord 
out  of  its  place.  If  the  colt  swells  very  much  bathe  the  cuts  with 
warm  water  until  you  soften  them,  then  take  butter  on  your 
fingers  and  insert  it  into  the  cuts  and  open  them  up,  allowing  the 
discharge  to  run  out.  A  little  swelling  on  the  point  of  the  sheath, 
as  long  as  it  is  not  too  large  and  the  animal  feeds  well  and  has  a 
whitish  discharge  from  the  cuts,  is  not  considered  serious  and 
need  not  alarm  you.     These  are  natural  results  of  castration. 

BLEEDING  FROM  THE  CORDS  (HEMORRHAGE.) 

The  blood  may  come  from  the  veins  of  the  scrotum  or  from 
the  arteries  of  the  cords.  If  it  is  coming  from  the  veins  you  can 
tell  it  by  its  dribbling  away  from  the  cuts  and  its  dark  color.  If 
it  is  from  the  artery  of  the  cord  it  comes  out  in  spurts,  and  is  of 
a  bright  red  color. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  143 

Treatment.— If  it  is  from  the  veins  of  the  scrotum  cast  the 
animal  and  plug-  the  cut  with  cotton  batting-  saturated  with 
Monsell's  solution  of  iron  and  leave  the  plug  in  twenty-four  hours 
when  it  will  be  safe  to  remove  without  danger  of  bleeding.  The 
batting  can  be  removed  by  placing  a  twitch  on  the  animal's  nose 
and  take  it  out  without  throwing  him  down. 

Bleeding  from  the  artery  of  the  cord  is  generally  after  the 
operation  has  been  performed  with  the  ecraseur  and  it  has  failed 
to  close  the  artery  of  the  cord,  and  when  the  animal  gets  up  he 
will  be  bleeding.  In  other  cases  it  occurs  from  the  horse  pulling- 
a  clamp  off  by  jumping  a  fence  or  catching  it  with  his  teeth. 

Treatment. — Throw  the  animal  and  secure  him,  get  hold  of 
the  cord  and  place  a  clamp  on  the  end  of  it  good  and  tight,  this 
will  stop  the  bleeding,  then  allow -the  animal  to  get  up. 

The  question  has  often  been  asked  if  a  one-year  old  colt  would 
bleed  to  death  by  bleeding  from  the  artery  of  the  cord  ?  The 
answer  is  :  Yes,  cases  have  been  known  where  animals  have 
bled  to  death  by  bleeding"  from  this  artery.  The  animal  generally 
bleeds  some  after  castration,  but  so  long  as  it  does  not  bleed  very 
freely  it  need  not  alarm  you,  and  by  keeping  the  animal  quietit 
will  generally  stop  bleeding  of  its  own  accord. 

RUPTURE  (HERNIA). 

This  is  where  the  animal  has  a  small  rupture  that  was  not 
noticed  before  the  operation  was  performed;  or,  in  some  cases  the 
aninial  will  rupture  himself  at  the  time  of  operation. 

Symptoms. — The  bowels  will  be  noticed  to  be  hanging  out  of 
the  cut;  there  may  be  only  a  little — two  or  three  inches,  or  a  foot, 
and  it  has  been  known  to  be  so  much  that  the  animal  would 
tramp  it  under  his  feet.  If  the  bowel  is  out  verj-  far,  and  becomes 
strangulated  and  inflamed,  the  animal  will  be  in  great  pain  and 
act  as  if  he  had  inflammation  of  the  bowels.  The  bowel  will  be 
of  a  bluish-red  color,  and  after  a  time,  if  left  out,  will  become 
mortified.  The  way  this  generally  occurs  is:  There  will  be  no 
sign  of  the  rupture  during  operation,  but  in  a  few  hours  the 
owner  will  go  back  to  see  the  colt  and  find  him  in  the  above- 
mentioned  state. 

Treatment. — if  the  bowels  are  out,  and  inflamed  and  bruised 
with  the  hind  feet,  and  he  seems  in  great  pain,  there  can  be  nothing 
done  but  to  destroy  the  animal.  In  cases  where  there  is  only  a 
small  amount  of  the  bowels  out,  throw  the  animal  and  secure  him,  oi 


144  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

your  hand  with  sweet  oil  and  force  the  bowels  back  throug^h  the 
hole  into  their  natural  cavity,  sew  up  the  cut  that  was  made  to  let 
the  testicle  out  and  this  will  keep  the  bowels  from  coming-  down; 
keep  the  animal  very  quiet  and  feed  on  soft  food  to  keep  his 
bowels  loose»  Swelling-  will  take  place,  and  between  the  ^welling 
and  the  stitchtis  it  will  keep  the  bowels  in  their  place  and  the  hole 
will  heal  up,  and  there  will  be  no  more  trouble  with  the  rupture. 
In  a  case  ot  this  kind  it  is  best  to  keep  the  clamp  on  a  day  or  two 

longer  than  you  would  if  the  animal  was  all  right. 

« 

THE  FAITY  LINING   OF    THE    BOWELS    COMING   DOWN   A  TER 
CASTRATION. 

In  some  cases  where  there  is  a  very  slight  rupture  which  is 
not  noticed  during  castration,  and  after  the  animal  is  let  up  and 
walks  around,  in  a  few  hours  the  fatty  lining  of  the  bowels  comes 
out — it  may  be  out  from  six  inches  to  two  feet. 

Symptoms. — When  you  go  to  see  the  colt  there  will  be 
something  hanging  from  the  cut,  generally  of  red  color,  and 
when  you  feel  it,  it  is  of  a  fatty  feeling  and  the  animal  does  not 
seem  to  take  any  notice  of  it  at  all ;  he  feeds  away  and  seems  in 
perfect  health. 

Treatment. — Take  a  scissors  and  cut  it  off;  there  is  no 
danger  of  bleeding  or  any  trouble,  and  watch  that  there  is  no 
more  comes  out. 

ABSCESSES  FORMED  IN  SCROTUM  AFTER  CASTRATION. 

This  generally  comes  in  a  case  where  the  animal  is  all  healed 
up  and  seems  to  be  doing  very  nicely. 

Causes. — Some  dried  matter;  a  dead  piece  of  the  cord  or  a  sliver 
being  left  in  the  scrotum  after  it  is  healed.  This  causes  an 
irritation,  starts  it  to  fester  and  forms  an  abscess. 

Symptoms. — There  will  be  heat,  pain  and  swelling  around  the 
scrotum  or  bag,  and  the  animal  will  walk  very  stiff  in  his  hind 
legs. 

Treatment. — Poultice  and  bathe  well,  rub  with  weak  white 
liniment.  This  will  bring  the  abscess  to  a  head,  then  lance  it  and 
allow  the  matter  to  run  out,  or  in  some  cases  the  poultice  will 
bring:  it  to  a  head  and  it  will  break  of  its  own  accord. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  145 

SWELLING  AFTER  CASTRATION. 

As  we  mentioned  before,  a  small  amount  of  swelling"  is  not  a 
bad  sign,  but  when  he  begins  to  swell  up  very  bad,  especially 
around  the  scrotum  and  cuts  as  well  as  in  the  sheath,  the  animal 
seems  very  stiff  and  does  not  want  to  move  nor  care  to  eat;  and 
if  the  discharge  from  the  cuts  is  of  a  red  waterish  color,  the  case 
becomes  more  serious  and  needs  immediate  attention. 

Causes. — From  lying  on  cold,  damp  ground  or  standing  out 
in  cold  east  winds  or  a  cold  rain  and  he  gets  cold  in  the  cuts, 
which  sets  up  inflammation  and  swelling;  or  allowing  the  cuts  to 
heal  up  too  soon  and  dam  back  the  natural  discharge ;  or  it  may 
be  from  the  cuts  being  poisoned  from  dirt  on  the  hands  of  the 
operator  or  on  some  of  the  instruments,  or  standing  in  a  dirty 
stable,  or  it  may  be  from  the  colt's  blood  being-  very  bad. 

Treatment.— Keep  the  bowels  loose  by  giving  small  doses  of 
raw  linseed  oil,  bathe  the  cuts  well  with  warm  water  and  tap  the 
point  of  the  sheath  in  a  few  places  with  a  sharp  penknife,  allowing: 
the  watery  stuff  to  keep  dropping  out;  this  will  help  to  relieve  the 
swelling.  After  you  give  him  a  good  bathing  and  get  the 
swelling  down  some,  put  salty  butter  on  your  finger  and  open  the 
cuts  well,  this  will  allow  any  discharge  that  is  formed  above  to 
run  out.  After  the  bathing  and  the  opening  of  the  cuts,  then 
apply  a  poultice  of  hot  linseed  and  bran,  hold  this  poultice  to  the  cuts 
by  means  of  strings  over  the  back.  It  will  not  be  necessary  to 
tap  the  sheath  and  open  up  the  cut  every  time  you  dress  the 
swelling — once  a  day  will  be  all  that  is  necessary;  but  bathe  and 
put  on  hot  poultices  three  or  four  times  a  day,  this  will  allay  the 
inflammation,  and  if  there  is  poison  in  the  cut,  the  poultice  and 
hot  water  will  draw  it  out.  Feed  the  animal  on  soft  food  and 
give  gentle  exercise,  which  has  a  tendency  to  take  down  the 
swelling.  As  soon  as  the  colt  begins  to  eat,  and  there  is  a  good 
healthy  white  discharge  from  the  cuts,  you  may  then  consider  him 
as  going  to  come  all  right. 

SCIRRHUS  CORD. 

This  is  a  growth  on  the  end  of  the  cord. 

Causes. — From  the  cord  being  pulled  down  in  taking  off  the 
clamp,  or  from  the  colt  when  it  is  itching  from  healing,  biting  it 
and  pulling  it  down.  The  cord  is  pulled  down  through  the  cut 
and  if  not  noticed  at  the  time  and  put  back  into  the  bag,  the  cut 
heals  tight  around   it   and    holds    it    down,    and    the    cord    being 

—10— 


146  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

exposed   to  the  air  becomes   irritated  and  diseased,  and  a  growth 
is  formed  on  the  end  of  it. 

Treatment. — If  this  is  noticed  rig-ht  at  the  time  it  is  very 
easily  checked  by  bathing-  it  with  warm  water,  which  softens  the 
cut,  then  take  your  fing^er  with  some  butter  on  it,  break  the  cord 
loose  from  the  skin,  shove  it  back  into  the  bag"  and  it  will  soon 
g-et  all  right.  If  it  has  not  been  noticed  in  time,  and  gets  very 
large,  it  will  soon  have  to  be  operated  on.  Cast  the  animal  and 
secure  him,  break  the  skin  from  the  cord,  where  it  is  healed  to  it, 
with  your  finger  and  thumb,  as  much  as  you  can  ;  the  parts  you 
cannot  break  with  your  finger  and  thumb  cut  with  a  knife  until 
you  get  the  cord  all  loose,  place  a  clamp  on  the  cord  so  you  will  be 
able  to  cut  all  the  diseased  part  off^  below  the  clamp,  leave  the  clamp 
on  two  or  three  days  and  remove  it,  same  as  after  castration, 
open  one  end  and  spread  it.  The  cord  may  also  be  taken  off  witli  the 
ecraseur  instead  of  putting  on  a  clamp,  and  in  some  cases  it  works 
better  than  the  clamp.  After  the  operation,  if  the  animal  swells 
much,  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  three  or  four  times  aday,  and  after 
each  bathing  apply  the  white  lotion.  If  the  point  of  the  sheath  is 
swollen  much  it  is  well  to  tap  it  in  a  few  places  with  a  sharp 
penknife  to  let  the  watery  stuff^  keep  dropping  out.  Feed  lots  of 
soft  food  with  boiled  flaxseed  in  it,  and  give  the  animal  gentle 
exercise  every  day.  If  the  case  has  been  allowed  to  run  on  until 
the  cord  becomes  diseased  up  through  the  ring  in  the  rim  of  the 
belly  it  is  then  a  hopeless  case. 

PERITONITIS  FOLLOWING  CASTRATION. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  scrotum  and  the 
lining  of  the  abdominal  or  belly  cavity. 

This  disease  is  more  fully  described  in  connection  with  the 
diseases  of  the  bowels. 

Causes. — From  too  severe  medicine  being  used  in  the  clamps; 
or  from  a  bungling  operation;  from  the  animal  standing  out  in 
cold  east  winds  or  rains;  or  lying  on  the  damp  ground.  The 
inflammation  first  commences  in  the  lining  of  the  bag  or  scrotum, 
and  extends  up  through  the  ring  in  the  rim  of  tbj  belly  and 
spreads  all  over  the  serous  membrane  lining — the  belly  cavity. 
This  generally  comes  on  about  the  third  or  fourth  day  after 
castration. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  very  dull,  will  stand  around  with- 
out  eating,    and    seems    as    if   he    was    cold.      The  cuts   are   not 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  147 

swollen,  but  there  is  a  bloody,  watery  fluid   keeps  dropping-  away. 

As  the  symptoms  g^radually  get  worse  the  animal   seems  in  pain, 

will   lay  down,    and    keep   g-etting    up    and   down,    breathes   very 

heavy,  as  it"  he  had   lung-  trouble.      If  in  warm  weather,  he  sweats 

freely,  his  pulse  is  weak  and  fast — from  60  to  70  beats  per  minute  ; 

if  he   passes   anything-   from   the   bowels    it   will    be    covered  with 

slime,  and  his   water  will  have  a  reddish  appearance.      This  is  a 

very  weakening-  disease,    the  animal   g-radually  g-ets  worse   for  a 

couple  days,  then  he  dies. 

Treatment. — For  a  yearling  colt  g-ive  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum i  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  drops. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil .    1  pint. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  as  a  drench.      If  this  does  not  give 

relief  in  three  hours  follow  up  with  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum i  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonfuls, 

Fleming's  Tincture  ot  Aconite 5  drops. 

Mix  in  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench 
every  three  hours  until  he  seems  better.  If  he  seems  weak  after 
recovery  give  a  wine  glassful  of  whisky  in  a  pint  of  oatmeal  gruel 
three  times  a  day  for  a  few  days  until  he  gains  his  strength. 
Keep  him  good  and  warm  by  blanketing  him,  and  apply  a  mustard 
plaster  over  the  bowels  until  he  seems  relieved,  poultice  the  cuts 
with  a  hot  poultice  of  linseed  meal  and  bran,  which  will  start 
a  healthy  discharge  to  run  from  the  cuts.  Warm  his  drinking 
water  and  feed  on  soft  food.  When  once  this  disease  gets  well 
started  it  generally  proves  fatal. 

LOCKJAW  (TETANUS;  AFTER  CASTRATION. 

This  disease  usually  comes  on  from  the  ninth  to  the  twenty- 
first  day  after  castration,  and  generally  follows  a  case  that  you 
think  is  doing  extra  well. 

Causes. — The  real  cause  is  not  known,  but  it  is  liable  to 
follow  any  kind  of  an  operation,  or  even  a  very  slight  injury.  It 
is  frequently  noticed  in  colts  that  are  exposed  to  the  cold,  walk- 
ing or  standing  in  a  river  for  any  length  of  time  after  being 
castrated;  or  allowed  to  run  in  a  wet,  marshy  pasture.  For  treat- 
ment and  further  particulars  of  this  disease  turn  to  "  Lockjaw  or 
Tetanus,"  which  is  dealt  with  more  fully  in  the  diseases  of  the  nerv- 
ous system. 


148  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

BLINDNESS  (AMAUROSIS)  OCCURRING  AFTER  CASTRATION. 
This  disease  is  sometimes  noticed  to  come  on  an  animal  after 
he  has  been  castrated,  especially  if  he  bleeds  freely  at  the  time. 
This  disease  is  mentioned  more  fully  in  connection  with  the  dis- 
eases of  Unw!  eye. 

CASTRATING  ORIGINALS  OR  RIGS. 

This  is  where  the  testicles  do  not  come  down  into  the  scrotum 
or  bag,  but  remains  up  in  the  abdominal  or  belly  cavity.  The 
cause  of  this  is  not  fully  understood.  In  a  case  of  castrating  a 
rig-  it  is  advisable  to  have  an  expert  who  pays  special  attention  to 
this  branch  of  castration  to  do  it.  If  the  testicles  are  not  down 
at  a  yearling  it  is  best  to  let  the  animal  run  over  for  a  year  or  so, 
for  the  testicles  often  come  down  themselves.  In  some  cases  one 
testicle  will  be  down  and  the  other  up,  while  again  neither  of  the 
testicles  will  be  down. 

THE  DIFFERENT  MEDICINES  USED  IN  LOADING  THE  CLAMPS. 

Some  use  biniodid  of  mercury  or  red  precipitate — 2  grains  to 
an  ounce  of  lard  or  vaseline,  but  the  green  salve,  the  receipt  of 
which  is  at  the  back  of  the  book,  is  what  we  recommend  and  use. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

RUPTURES  (HERNIAS)  AND  THE  MODES 
OF  TREATING  THEM. 

NAVEL  OR  UMBILICAL  RUPTURE. 

This  is  where  the  navel  opening  does  not  become  properl}r 
closed  at  the  tune  ot  Du'tn,  ana  tiic  ooweis  come  uown  through 
the  opening  in  the  rim  of  the  belly  and  forms  a  pouch  or  sack  in 
the  skin,  the  size  of  which  varies  from  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg  to 
larger  than  a  goose  egg.  This  is  a  miserable  blemish  and  is  best 
to  be  treated  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  colt  is  a  year  or 
two  old. 

Treatment. — Prepare  the  animal  by  starving  it  twenty-four 
hours,  then  throw  and  secure  him,  shove  the  bowel  well  back  and 
draw  the  skin  well  up  and  put  a  heavy  stiff  clamp  on  it,  secure 
both  ends  of  the  clamp  with  stout  cord  and  run  a  few  darning 
needles  through  the  skin  below  the  clamp,  this  will  keep  the  clamp 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  149 

from  slipping"  off,  break  off  the  point  of  the  needles  so  they  will 
not  catch  in  anything  ;  let  the  animal  up  and  leave  the  clamp  on 
until  it  falls  off  of  its  own  accord,  which  is  generally  from  nine  to 
twelve  days,  by  this  time  the  hole  will  be  healed  up  and  the  rup- 
ture will  not  be  seen  any  more.  After  the  clamp  falls  off  there  will 
be  a  raw  spot  which  will  need  to  be  watched  in  warm  weather  so 
that  maggots  do  not  get  into  it.  In  case  they  do  wash  it  off  well 
with  warm  water  and  soap  and  apply  the  creolin  lotion  a  few  times. 
Warning'. — Be  careful  not  to  catch   the   bowel  in   the  clamp 

with  the  skin. 

RUPTURE  (VENTRAL  HERNIA.) 

This  is  a  rupture  anywhere  in  the  rim  of  the  belly,  and  may 
vary  from  the  size  of  a  hen's  egg  to  that  of  a  man's  head. 

It  is  generally  due  to  an  injury  from  a  kick  of  an  animal,  or 
an  injury  of  any  kind  which  strikes  and  bursts  the  rim  of  the  belly, 
or  it  may  be  caused  from  an  animal  pulling  very  heavy. 

Treatment.— The  way  to  be  sure  if  it  is  hernia  is  that  you  can 
shove  it  up  through  the  hole  in  the  rim  of  the  belly,  and  as  soon 
as  you  let  go  it  will  come  out  again ;  you  also  can  feel  the  hole 
in  the  rim  of  the  belly.  These  ruptures  have  often  been  tried  to 
be  treated  with  the  clamp  and  cutting  in  and  sewing  them  up,  but 
the  best  plan  is  to  leave  them  alone  and  get  as  much  work  out  of 
the  animal  as  you  can. 

RUPTURE  IN  THE  BAG  (SCROTAL  HERNIA). 

This  is  where  the  bowel  and  the  fatty  covering  of  the  bowel 
comes  down  along  with  the  testicle. 

Causes. — Some  colts  are  ruptured  at  birth  and  they  never  get 
all  right.  It  is  also  caused  by  the  colt  running,  jumping  or  any 
other  such  violent  exercise,  or  it  may  result  at  the  time  of  castra- 
tion in  severe  struggling. 

Symptoms. — The  scrotum  has  a  swollen  and  enlarged  appear- 
ance, and  you  can  press  the  bowel  and  covering  up  through  the 
hole  into  the  belly,  and  when  you  let  it  go  it  will  come  down 
again. 

Treatment. —  If  it  is  in  a  colt  that  is  not  castrated,  you  can 
get  rid  of  this  very  easily  while  you  are  castrating  him.  In  a 
case  where  you  are  going  to  castrate  and  fix  the  rupture  at  the 
same  time,  have  the  animal  well  prepared  by  starving  him  a  day 
or  so  before  the  operation,  then  throw 'and  secure  him,  shove  the 
bowel  and  fatty  lining  back   into  the  belly,  and    in   taking  up   the 


150  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

testicle  with  your  left  hand,  also  allow  the  hand  to  rest  on  the 
hole  where  the  bowel  comes  out;  make  a  small  cut  large  enough  to 
allow  the  testicle  to  slip  out,  and  slip  the  clamp  on  over  the  cord  ; 
also  draw  up  the  white  covering  or  tunics  you  cut  through  in 
letting  the  testicle  out,  and  fasten  this  tight  in  the  clamp  as  well  as 
the  cord;  this  will  prevent  the  rupture  from  coming  down.  A  day 
or  so  after  the  operation  it  will  swell  some  and  fill  up  the  hole 
where  the  rupture  comes  down  and  the  rupture  will  entirely 
disappear.  After  four  or  five  days  it  will  be  all  right  to  remove  the 
clamp,  and  there  will  be  no  danger  of  the  rupture  coming  down. 
In  the  stallion  it  cannot  be  treated  except  by  castrating  in  the 
same  method  as  is  mentioned  above. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  EAR. 

DEAFNESS. 

If  it  is  of  long  standing  nothing  can  be  done  for  it,  and  it  is 
hard  to  detect  it  in  some  cases. 

Causes. — It  generally  comes  on  horses  that  are  used  where 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  noise,  such  as  artillery  horses,  or 
it  may  be  caused  by  a  diseased  state  of  the  drum  of  the  ear  or 
nerve. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  seems  stubborn  and  cannot  be  taught 
to  obey  the  word. 

Treatment. — There  connot  be  very  much  done  to  the  horse 
but  place  a  twitch  on  his  nose  and  pour  a  little  sweet  oil  in  his 
ear  every  day;  this  sometimes  helps  them. 

INJURIES  OR  CUTS  AROUND  THE  EAR. 

If  the  skin  or  cartilage  is  torn,  put  a  twitch  on  the  horse's 
nose  and  take  a  needle  used  for  sewing  skin  cuts  and  draw  the 
wound  together  with  stitches  of  carriage  trimmers'  twine,  bathe 
it  well  with  warm  water  twice  a  day  and  apply  the  white  lotion 
until  it  is  healed. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  CARTILAGE  OF  THE  EAR. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  generally  caused  from  an  injury  of 
some  kind. 

Symptoms. — It  will  keep  festering  and  breaking  every  month 
or  so  at  the  place  the  cartilage  is  diseased. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  151 

Treatment. — Place  a  twitch  on  the  animal's  nose  and  with  a 
sharp  knife  split  the  skin  and  tissues  open  to  the  diseased  part  of 
the  cartilage,  scrape  the  diseased  part  out  and  burn  around  where 
the  diseased  cartilage  is  with  caustic  potash,  which  will  generally 
set  up  a  healthy  action,  and  it  will  heal  up  all  right. 

FROST  BITES  OF  THE  EAR.* 

This  is  generally  caused  by  keeping  the  animal  in  a  cold  place 
and  allowing  the  ear  to  become  frozen.  This  is  not  so  common  in 
horses  as  it  is  in  young  cattle. 

Treatment. — Bathe  with  cold  water,  and  apply  the  white  lotion 
after  bathing,  three  or  four  times  a  day.  If  it  is  taken  in  time  it 
will  save  the  ear  from  dropping  off.  If  the  ear  becomes  dead,  and 
drops  off,  treat  the  same  until  it  heals  up.  If  you  notice  the  ear 
just  at  the  time  it  is  frozen,  apply  snow  to  it  to  draw  out  the  frost. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  EYE. 

Before  studying  the  diseases  of  the  eye  it  is  advisable  to  study 
the  anatomy  of  the  eye,  found  in  Part  I.  of  this  book. 

SIMPLE  OPHTHALMIA. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  outside  covering  of  the  eyes  and 
the  lining  of  the  lids. 

Causes. — This  is  often  the  result  of  an  injury  of  some  kind, 
such  as  being  struck  with  a  whip  in  the  eye;  or  extreme  heat  or 
cold  will  cause  it  ;  being  kept  in  a  dark  stable,  or  where  there  is 
foul  air  around  the  stable,  or  from  chaflf  or  any  other  substance 
getting  into  the  eye. 

Symptoms. — The  eye  is  very  dull  and  partly  closed,  and  some- 
times the  eyelids  will  be  swollen,  and  water  running  from  the 
corner  of  the  eye.  The  eye  is  sore  to  handle  and  it  hurts  when 
the  animal  is  brought  into  the  light,  and  on  account  of  this  he  will 
keep  it  closed.  After  a  day  or  so  there  will  be  a  scum  gradually 
come  over  the  eye  and  it  presents  a  very  irritated  appearance. 

Treatment. —  Examine  the  eye  carefully  and  try  and  find  out 
the  cause  of  the  trouble.  If  it  is  a  piece  of  chaff,  or  anv  substance 
in  the  eye,  remove  it  ;  if  it  is  the  fault  of  the  stable,  get  it  fixed. 
Bathe  the  eye  well  with  new  milk,  just  from  the  cow,  twice  a  day 
and,  after  bathing  it,  each  time  apply  the  eye  wash,  mentioned  in 


152  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

the  receipts  at  the  back  of  this  book,  in  and  around  the  eye.  Keep 
on  with  this  treatment  until  the  animal  is  relieved.  In  cases  where 
the  eyelids  are  much  swollen  it  is  well  to  bleed  ;  this  is  done  by 
taking-  a  sharp  pen  knife  and  raising-  the  vein  below  the  eye  by 
pressing-  your  ling^ers  on  it,  then  cut  it  and  allow  it  to  bleed  until 
it  stops  of  its  own  accord,  which  takes  about  half  an  hour. 

MOON  BLINDNESS  (PERIODIC  OPHTHALMIA). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  inner  structures  of  the  eve. 

Causes. — Extreme  heat  and  cold,  poorly  ventilated  stables  or 
dark  stables  ;  all  these  have  a  tendenc}'  to  bring  this  disease  on. 
It  also  comes  on  hereditary,  that  is,  where  the  dam  or  sire  has 
had  this  disease.      It  is  very  apt  to  follow  up  in  his  or  her  colts. 

Symptoms. — They  are  generally  well  marked,  and  together 
with  the  history  of  the  case,  you  will  have  little  difficulty  in  telliiig- 
if  it  is  this  trouble  that  is  affecting"  the  eye.  The  animal  may  be 
put  in  the  stable  apparently  all  rig-ht  at  nig-ht,  and  in  the  morning- 
you  notice  the  eyes  to  be  running-  water,  seems  very  weak,  and 
the  eye  partially  closed.  It  g-enerally  affects  one  eye  at  a  time, 
although  it  may  affect  both  eyes  at  once.  It  is  also  noticed  to 
change  from  one  eye  to  the  other.  The  disease  gradually  gets 
wor:;e  for  two  or  three  days,  the  eye  gets  weaker  and  assumes  a 
Yellowish  or  reddish  appearance.  The  animal  can  see  but  very 
little  out  of  the  eye.  In  two  or  three  days  more  the  eye  will  return 
back  to  almost  its  natural  state,  but  may  look  a  little  bluer  than 
usual.  It  will  appear  all  right  again,  but  after  the  course  of  from 
three  to  six  months  it  will  show  again  with  the  same  svmptoms. 
This  time  it  may  be  in  the  opposite  eye,  or  in  the  same  one. 
It  will  keep  coming  on  in  spells  like  this  from  time  to  time, 
each  time  leaving  the  eye  a  little  more  blurred,  until  in  time  it  Vvill 
conipletely  blind  the  animal.  In  some  cases  the  animal  will  go 
blind  in  a  year  from  repeated  attacks,  while  in  others  it  takes  as 
long  as  three  years.  The  first  time  the  disease  attacks  the  eve 
you  may  think  it  a  simple  case  of  inflammation  of  the  eye,  but 
iifter  it  comes  back  a  few  times  you  may  make  up  your  mind  it  is 
a  case  of  periodic  ophthalmia. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  generally  terniinates  \-erv  unsatis- 
factorily in  the  end,  as  the  animal  goes  blind,  and  when  once  you 
have  made  up  your  mind  it  is  this  disease  it  is  best  to  part  with 
the  animal,  but  3'ou  can  help  to  keep  back  the  disease,  when  everv 
time  the  eve  is   noticed  to  be  sore,  to  bathe   them  well  with  new 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  153 

milk  twice  a  day  and  apply  the  eye  wash  in  and  around  the  eye. 
This  will  help  to  check  the  inflammation  and  keep  the  sight  in  the 
eye  long-er,  but  it  finally  terminates  in  cataract  of  the  eyes,  that  is, 
blindness.  In  some  cases  where  the  eye  looks  very  irritated  it  is 
well  to  bleed  from  the  vein  below  the  eye,  but  it  does  not  gen- 
erally do  so  much  good  as  it  does  in  simple  ophthalmia. 

CATARACT  OF  THE  EYE. 

Cataract  is  a  pearly  white  deposit  across  the  sight  of  the  eye, 
and  it  may  be  what  is  known  as  a  complete  cataract,  that  is 
where  it  cov^ers  all  the  sight,  or  it  may  be  a  partial  cataract,  that 
is  where  the  animal  can  see  a  little. 

Causes.— It  is  caused  by  repeated  attacks  of  inflammation  of 
the  eye,  the  same  as  we  have  in  ophthalmia;  or  foals  have  been 
born  with  cataracts  on  their  eyes.  This  disease  may  effect  one  or 
both  eyes.      There  is  a  white  deposit  over  the  sight  of  the  eye. 

Symptoms. — If  it  is  only  partial  cataract  the  animal  can  see 
a  little,  but  if  it  is  a  complete  cataract  the  animal  cannot  see  at  all. 

Treatment. — -Very  little,  if  anything,  can  be  done,  unless  by 
an  operation,  and  such  an  operation  is  not  attended  with  much 
success  in  the  horse  because  you  cannot  regulate  his  sight  with 
glasses  as  is  done  in  people.  As  for  medicine,  when  the  cataract 
is  well  formed  there  can  be  nothing  given  to  help  him.  The  only 
thing  we  can  advise  you  is  when  you  are  buying  a  l.nrse  be  sure 
he  is  not  aflfected  with  this  disease. 

STAR  GAZER  (AMAUROSIS). 

This  is  paralysis  of  the  optic  nerve  which  gives  sight  to 
the  eye. 

Causes. — Standing  in  a  stable  that  is  dark,  or  by  striking  the 
bead  against  something.  In  severe  cases  of  bleeding,  horses 
have  been  known  to  go  blind,  but  as  the  blood  returns  he  gains 
his  sight. 

Symptoms. — The  eye  has  a  large,  glassy  appearance,  and  the 
pupil  of  the  eye  is  very  much  enlarged,  and  if  he  is  taken  out  of  a 
■dark  stable  into  the  light  the  pupil  of  the  eye  does  not  close  up 
the  same  as  if  it  was  all  right,  but  remains  large  all  the  time. 
The  animal  generally  carries  his  head  high  and  steps  high. 

Treatment. —If  the  case  is  of  long  standing  nothing  can  be 
■done  for  it  ;  if  it  comes  on  from  injury  by  striking  the  head 
against  something,  or  from   bleeding,  it  can   be  treated  all  right. 


154  THE  ^VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Give  the  animal  a  teaspoonful  of  nux  vomica  in  his  feed  three 
times  a  day,  this  acts  as  a  stimulant  to  the  nerve  ;  wash  the  eye 
with  eye  wash  twice  a  day  for  a  few  days.  In  buying"  horses  be 
particular  and  watch  the  eyes  closely  for  unsoundness,  for  some  of 
the  best  buyers  have  been  nipped  in  this  disease. 

CANCEROUS  GROWTH  IN  THE  EYE. 

It  first  commences  with  an  inflammation  in  the  eye,  after  this 
there  will  be  a  growth  noticed  to  be  coming  out  of  the  ball  of  the 
eye,  which  gradually  keeps  on  growing  until  it  hangs  out  over  on  the 
cheek,  it  looks  red  and  angry,  and  the  least  little  injury  will  cause 
it  to  bleed  freely,  and  gives  the  animal  an  unsightly  appearance. 
In  some  cases  the  bones  around  the  eye  become  diseased,  and 
then  it  smells  very  bad.  This  disease  is  more  often  met  with 
in  the  cow  than  in  the  horse. 

Causes. — The  causes  of  this  are  like  all  other  cancerous 
growths— from  cancer  germs  getting  into  the  blood  and  settling 
in  the  eye. 

Treatment.  --You  may  eff'ect  a  cure  in  the  first  stages  of  the 
disease  by  removing  the  eye,  growth  and  all.  Cast  the  animal  and 
secure  him,  and  have  his  head  held  solid,  cut  around  the  eye 
between  the  eye  and  the  eyelid,  and  lift  the  eye  up  by  sticking  a 
hook  into  it,  then  cut  the  structures  off  at  the  back  part  of  the 
eye  and  have  a  hot  iron  to  sear  it,  to  stop  the  bleeding,  then  allow 
the  animal  to  get  up,  and  dress  it  the  same  as  you  would  an  ordinary 
wound  by  bathing  it  with  warm  water  and  applying  white  lotion 
three  times  a  day.  After  applying  the  lotion,  if  the  cut  looks 
angry,  apply  compound  tincture  of  benzoin,  or  what  is  called 
Frier's  balsam,  with  a  feather  to  keep  it  from  growing  again. 

FILARIA   OCULI. 

This  is  a  small  worm,  about  the  size  of  a  pin,  found  in  the 
humors  of  the  eye,  moving  around.  It  is  liable  to  be  found  in 
any  part  of  the  body;  they  have  been  found  around  the  testicles 
and  bowels. 

Causes. — From  a  microbe,  and  is  mostly  seen  in  horses  that 
pasture  on  low,  wet  land  ;  it  is  taken  into  the  system  through 
water  and  feed,  and  from  the  bowels  it  gets  into  the  blood  and  is 
carried  into  the  eye  or  various  parts  of  the  body  through  the  blood. 

Symptoms. — This  worm  may  grow  from  the  size  of  one  half 
inch  to  two  inches  long,  and  it  sets   up   considerable    irritation  in 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  155 

the  eye.  The  eye  has  a  hazy  appearance  and  seems  very  weak, 
and  by  watching  it  you  can  see  the  worm  sometimes  in  the  front, 
then  it  will  move  around  to  the  back.  If  the  worm  is  allowed  to 
remain  in  the  eye  it  will  keep  the  eye  irritated. 

Treatment. — The  only  thing-  that  can  be  done  to  save  the  eye 
is  an  operation.  Cast  the  animal  and  secure  him,  have  his  head 
held  solid  so  that  he  cannot  move,  take  a  small  lance  or  sharp  pen- 
knife and  make  a  small  incision  or  cut  across  the  sight  of  the  eye, 
which  will  let  the  humors  of  the  eye  run  out,  and  with  it  the  worm 
generally  comes.  Keep  the  animal  quiet  after  the  operation  and 
put  him  in  a  clean,  dark  box  stall  for  a  few  days.  Bathe  the  eye 
with  new  milk  twice  a  day  and  apply  the  eye  wash  after  bathing 
until  the  eye  is  healed.  It  generally  takes  a  week  or  so  for  the 
eye  to  heal  and  the  fluid  to  form  in  the  eye.  After  the  course  of 
two  or  three  weeks  all  that  will  be  noticed  is  a  slight  scar,  which 
will  gradually  absorb  away  in  time  and  the   eye  will  get  all  right. 

GLAUCOMA. 

This  is  a  hardening  of  the  back  humor  of  the  eye. 

Causes. — From  a  severe  injury  to  the  eye,  or  where  the  eye 
is  pierced  by  a  stick  or  anything,  and  it  injures  the  back  part  of 
the  eye  ;  or  sometimes  from  natural  decay  in  old  animals. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  gradually  gets  blind,  and  has  high, 
peculiar  action  in  front,  the  same  as  seen  in  all  blind  animals. 
If  you  look  into  the  eye  through  the  pupil  you  will  see  that  the 
eye  has  become  hardened  and  is  of  a  grayish  color. 

Treatment. — in  a  case  where  it  comes  on  from  an  injury, 
bathe  with  new  milk  three  or  four  times  a  day,  and  apply,  after 
bathing,  the  eye  wash.  It  is  more  frequently  noticed  in  gray 
horses  than  in  others,  and  if  it  comes  on  in  old  ace  nothino- 
can  be  done  to  cure  it. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  HAW  OF  THE  EYE  (MEMBRANA  NICTITANS). 

This  is  the  diseased  or  enlarged  state  of  the  cartilage  in  the 
corner  of  the  eye. 

Causes. — Generally  from  chaff  or  something  getting  into  the 
eye  and  irritating  it.  This  causes  it  to  enlarge  and  stick  out  of 
the  corner  of  the  eye  and  gives  the  animal  a  great  deal  of  trouble, 
and  also  looks  very  bad. 

Treatment. — When  it  is  first  noticed  remove  the  irritation,  if 
it  can  be  found,  and  bathe  with  new  milk  or  luke  warm  water  two 


156  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

or  three  times  a  day,  and  after  bathing-  apply  the  eye  wash.  The 
cartilage  will  generally  return  to  its  natural  size  in  a  few  days. 
If  this  fails  to  remove  the  enlargement,  place  a  twitch  on  the 
animal's  nose  to  keep  him  quiet,  take  a  small  pincers  and  catch 
hold  of  the  cartilage  and  draw  it  out  of  the  eye  some,  then  take  a 
scissors  and  cut  it  off.  This  is  a  very  simple  thing  to  do,  for 
it  will  not  bleed  and  does  not  hurt  the  animal  very  much,  for  it  is 
only  a  piece  of  cartilage.  After  you  cut  the  cartilage  off  treat  the 
€ye  the  same  way  as  mentioned  above,  and  in  a  few  days  you  will 
hardly  be  able  to  tell  there  was  anything  wrong  with  the  eye. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  EYELIDS. 

This  is  where  the  eyelid  becomes  torn  or  bruised. 

Causes. — It  may  be  caused  in  various  ways. 

Treatment — If  the  eyelids  are  torn,  draw  the  edges  of  it 
together  by  putting  a  few  stitches  in  it  with  a  needle  that  is  used 
for  sewing  up  wounds,  and  use  the  carriage  trimmers'  twine.  It 
is  not  always  necessary  to  throw  the  animal  for  this,  but  just  put 
a  twitch  on  his  nose,  but  if  the  animal  is  very  wild  it  is  best 
to  throw  him  down  ;  bathe  the  wound  with  new  milk  or  warm 
water  three  or  four  times  a  day;  after  bathing  apply  the  eye  wash, 
in  a  few  days  the  stitches  will  come  out  and  the  wound  may  open 
up  some  and  look  worse,  but  keep  on  treating-  it  and  it  will  heal 
up  in  a  short  time.  In  some  cases,  where  the  eyelid  is  torn  and 
the  eye  injured,  the  eye  will  fall  out  on  the  cheek,  this  may  be 
caused  in  a  runaway.  Wash  the  eye  off  and  set  it  back  to  its 
place  and  sew  up  and  dress  the  wound  as  mentioned  above. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  DUCTS  OF  THE  EYE 

WHICH    CARRY    THE    TEARS    DOWN    TO    THE    NO:  E. 

When  this  tube  becomes  injured  the  tears  will  flow  out  over 
the  cheek.  It  is  recommended  to  take  a  small  syringe  and  inject 
this  tube  or  passage  with  warm  water.  The  best  way  to  inject 
this  is  from  below  by  putting  the  point  of  the  syringe  in  the  small 
hole  found  in  the  bottom  part  of  the  nose  and  force  the  water  up 
through  this  until  it  runs  out  at  the  corner  of  the  eye,  this  will  clear 
the  passage  out,  and  sometimes  effect  a  complete  cure,  but  if  the 
case  is  of  long  standing  it  is  best  to  leave  it  alone,  for  the 
horse  mieht  be  able  to  work  for  years. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  157 

NEAR  SIGTHEDNESS  (MYOPIA). 

This  trouble  is  g'enerally  found  in   horses  with  very  full  eyes. 

C^USe. — There  is  no  particular  cause  for  this  ;  the  animal  was 
foaled  with  this  disease. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  has  a  very  full  eye,  with  enlarged 
pupils,  and  will  shy  very  much,  as  he  cannot  see  objects  along- 
the  road  at  any  distance. 

Treatment. — There  is  none,  but  always  be  careful  in  buying  a 
horse  that  he  is  not  a  shyer  for  it  is  a  miserable  thing. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CONTAGIOUS  DISEASES  AND  FEVERS  OF 
THE  HORSE. 


I. CONTAGIOUS    DISEASES. 

SMALLPOX  IN  THE  HORSE  (VARIOLA  EQUINA). 

This  disease  is  not  very  often  met  with  in  America,  but  is 
quite  common  in  Europe. 

Causes. — They  are  same  as  smallpox  in  people,  it  is  con- 
tagious, and  spreads  from  one  horse  to  the  other  by  germs.  The 
way  the  disease  is  carried  from  one  horse  to  the  other  is  from  the 
scales,  which  contain  the  germs,  getting  on  the  groom's  clothes, 
the  saddle  or  harness,  and  in  this  way  it  is  communicated  to 
another  horse,  where  it  gets  into  the  blood  and  sets  up  the 
disease.  This  disease  has  to  run  a  course,  and  it  generally  takes 
from  nine  days  to  two  weeks  before  the  animal  begins  to  recover. 
This  disease  may  be  communicated  from  the  horse  to  the  man, 
cows  or  other  animals,  so  it  is  well  to  be  careful  when  around  a 
case  of  this  kind  and  not  allow  the  scales  or  scabs,  which  fall  off 
the  horse,  to  get  onto  you. 

Symptoms. — There  is  more  or  less  fever,  the  pulse  quick  and 
weak,  the  animal  is  thirsty  and  does  not  care  to  eat  much,  red 
patches  appear  upon  the  skin,  with  a  small  hole  in  the  center  of 
each  blotch,  from  which  oozes  a  watery  serum.  These  patches 
vary  in  size  and  are  apt  to  be  found  on  any  part  of  the  body,  the 
skin  becomes  very  sore  and  tender,  the  mouth  is  sore  and  saliva 
keeps  running  away  from  it,  the  throat  also  seems  sore  and  it 
appears  difficult   for   him    to   swallow.      In   the   course   of  nine  to 


158  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

fifteen  days  the  red  spots  dry  up  and  the  scales  fall  off  and  the 
animal  gradually  recovers.  It  is  these  scales  which  fall  off  that, 
when  they  are  carried  to  other  animals,  spread  the  disease. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  simple  :  Keep  the  animal  from 
other  horses,  feed  on  soft  food  with  lots  of  boiled  flaxseed  in  it,  if 
in  the  spring-  of  the  year,  grass  is  best.      Give 

Sulphur J  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre -^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a 

day    on    his    tongue,    which    is     all    the     medicine    he    will    need 

internally.      Attend   to    the    animal's    general    comfort,    keep   him 

warm  and  do  not  expose  him  to  the  cold,  for  this  would  be  liable 

to  kill  the  animal  if  it   drove   the   rash    in   from    the  skin.      Wash 

him  all  over  where  the    scabs   are    once   a  day  with    the  following 

mixture. 

Creolin 1  ounce,  or  4  lauiespoonf uls. 

Rain  Witer 1  quart. 

Shake  well  together   and   apply  with   a   sponge   or   cloth  and 

this  will  kill  all  the  germs  of  the  disease  as  they  come  out  on  the 

scabs;   rub  him   once   a  day  and   this  will  keep   the  disease   from 

spreading.      The  only  danger  in  this  disease  is  letting  the  animal 

get  cold  and  driving  the  rash  in  from  the  skin,  which  poisons  the 

blood.      After  the  animal  gets  better  it  is  best  to  gather  all   the 

straw  and  manure  out  of  the  stall  he  has  been   in  and  burn  it, 

then  close  the  stable  up  and  burn  sulphur  in   a  dish,    which  will 

kill  all  the  germs  left  in  the  stable. 

GLANDERS. 

This  is  a  very  contagious  or  catching  disease  in  the  horse, 
and  one  of  the  most  serious  and  loathsome  diseases  the  horse  is 
liable  to.  It  occurrs  in  two  forms,  chronic  glanders  and  acute 
glanders.  This  disease  has  existed  for  thousands  of  years,  and 
has  been  treated  by  every  kind  of  medicine  known,  and  nothing 
has  ever  effected  a  cure. 

CHRONIC  GLANDERS. 

This  disease  was  common  in  this  country  when  it  was  being 
cleared  up,  and  is  now  sometimes  found  in  back  townships. 

Causes. — It  is  due  to  germs  poisoning  the  blood,  and  it  is 
thought  that  cases  of  catarrh  and  nasal  gleet  have  terminated  in 
a  case  of  glanders.  Sometimes  it  has  broke  out  in  a  severe  form 
while  horses  are  on  shipboard  during  the  time  of  a  storm,  when 
the  hatches  are  shut  down,  but  in  a  case  of  this   kind   there   must 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  159 

have  been  one  of  the  animals  affected,  and  when  closed  up 
tig-ht  the  disease  began  to  show  itself.  If  it  g-ets  into  large, 
crowded  cities  where  there  are  large  numbers  of  horses  kept  in  one 
stable  it  is  -i-ery  troublesome. 

Symptoms. — it  is  most  often  seen  in  old  and  debilitated 
animals.  In  the  chronic  form  of  the  disease  it  may  exist  for  a 
long  time  without  showing  severe  symptoms,  and  might  be 
mistaken  for  nasal  gleet ;  but  if  you  take  the  temperature  of  the 
animal,  you  will  find  it  up  to  from  103  to  105  degrees,  while  in 
nasal  gleet  the  temperature  will  be  normal — about  98  or  99 
degrees.  There  is  a  discharge  from  the  nose;  at  first  it  is 
rather  watery,  but  afterwards  it  is  of  a  greenish-yellow  color  and 
very  sticky;  it  sticks  around  the  nose,  and  has  no  smell^ 
differing  from  nasal  gleet.  The  discharge  in  this  case  will  sink 
in  water,  while  in  other  diseases  it  will  float.  The  eyes  will  have 
a  discharge  from  them.  After  the  disease  has  gone  on  for  somo 
time,  the  inside  of  the  nose  becomes  full  of  patches  of  ulcers 
which  have  very  little  tendency  to  heal.  The  lymphatic  glands 
around  the  head  and  neck  become  swollen  and  hard.  The  animal 
falls  off  greatly  in  condition;  becomes  thin  and  hide-bound,  and 
generally  pines  away  in  a  lingering  death.  Man  and  dogs  will 
take  this  disease  from  horses,  but  other  animals  are  not  subjected 
to  it.  When  it  attacks  man,  it  is  a  terrible  disease;  so  you  see 
the  necessity  of  handling  the  disease  with  very  great  caution. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  there  is  any  suspicion  of  this  disease, 
put  him  some  place  where  other  animals  will  not  come  in  contact 
with  him;  have  only  one  pail  and  feed  box  for  him,  and  allow  no 
other  animal  to  eat  or  drink  out  of  it  ;  also  handle  him  with  care 
yourself,  and  be  sure  there  are  no  cuts  on  your  hands,  or  do  not 
allow  your  clothes  to  touch  him,  as  you  might  carry  the  disease  to 
other  animals.  It  is  best  to  send  for  the  veterinary  government 
inspector,  and  if  he  pronounces  it  a  case  of  glanders,  have  the 
animal  immediately  destroyed  and  burned,  and  have  the  stable 
disinfected. 

ACUTE  GLANDERS. 

This  disease  is  mostly  noticed  in  Euorpean  countries,  and  not 
often  met  with  in  this  country. 

Causes. — -This  is  caused  from  germs  getting  in  and  poisoning 
the  blood,  the  same  as  in  chronic  glanders,  only  that  it  runs  its 
course  very  much  more  quickl}'  than  the  chronic  form. 


IGO  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — Four  or  five  days  alter  the  g^erms  have  entered 
the  system  the  animal  will  be  noticed  to  tremble ;  his  temperature- 
will  run  up  as  high  as  105  degrees  or  more,  and  he  will  run 
freely  at  the  nose,  the  discharge  being  similar  to  that  of  chronic 
glanders,  only  it  is  sometimes  streaked  with  blood.  The  lungs 
become  affected  and  inflamed,  which  frequently  causes  death. 
All  the  other  '-ymptoms  are  the  same  as  in  the  chronic  form. 

Treatment  and  precautions  are  the  same  as  in  chronic 
glanders. 

II. — FEVERS    OF    THE    HORSE. 

They  are  four  in  number,  as  follows:  Influenza,  purpura 
hemorrhagica  (or  what  is  commonly  called  button  farcy),  strangles 
or  distemper,  epizootic  cellulitis  or  piiik  eye. 

INFLUENZA. 

This  disease  received  its  name  when,  at  one  time,  it  was 
thought  it  was  influenced  by  the  stars.  It  is  very  common  among" 
the  horses  in  America,  and  is  a  disease  that  is  liable  to  affect  any 
organ  of  the  body. 

Causes. — It  is  caused  from  germs  floating  in  the  air  ;  this  is 
how  it  spreads  so  quickly  from  one  horse  to  another.  It  is  more 
common  in  the  spring  and  fall,  when  the  horses  are  shedding 
their  coats,  than  at  any  other  time  of  the  year.  In  1874  and  1878 
this  disease  broke  out  in  the  form  of  a  regular  epizootic,  and 
spread  all  over  the  country  and  caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble. 
Horses  that  are  kept  in  badly-ventilated  stables,  especially  those- 
that  are  underground,  are  more  likely  to  catch  this  disease. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptoms  are  a  dull,  languid  appear- 
ance; sweats  freely  on  the  slightest  exertion;  the  coat  starry  and 
dirty  looking;  the  mouth  hot  and  dry,  and  there  is  a  slight  cough. 
After  these  well-marked  symptoms  set  in,  by  pressing  on  his 
throat  it  seems  very  sore  and  causes  him  to  cough.  The  pulse 
will  be  quick  and  weak,  and  in  some  cases  will  go  as  high  as  80 
beats  per  minute.  The  horse  will  hang  his  head,  and  seems  to  be 
suffering  from  severe  headache  and  nervous  depression ;  and  he 
gets  so  weak  you  would  imagine  you  could  shove  him  over.  At 
this  stage  of  the  disease,  he  will  breathe  heavy  and  have  a 
peculiar  rattling  noise  in  the  throat,  which  3'ou  can  hear  by 
putting  you  ear  to  the  side  of  his  throat.  His  eyes  look  heavy 
and  red;  his  bowels  become  costive;  and  if  you  take  his  tempera- 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  161 

ture   it   will   be  up   as    high    as    105    degrees.      There    will    be    a 

discharge  from  the  nostrils,  and  if  it  is  of  a  yellowish  white  color, 

it  is  a  favorable  sign.      At  this   stage  of  the   disease   it   is   apt  to 

settle  on  the  bowels,   and  cause  inflammation  and  death;    or,   it 

may  settle  on  the  liver,  when  the  symptoms  will  vary — sometimes 

it    will  be  diarrhoea     and     then    costiveness  ;     or,    it     may    settle 

on  the  lungs  and  set  up  inflammation  of  the  lungs ;   so  ycu  see  the 

necessity  of  careful  nursing,  not  allowing  the  animal  to  get  cold 

during  the  disease.      The  animal    generally    persists   in   standing 

all  through  this  disease.      The   legs  and  sheath   become  swollen, 

which  is  considered  rather  a  good  sign  as  long  as  it  not  swollen 

to  any  great  extent. 

Treatment. — Clothe  and  attend  to  the  general  comfort  of  the 

animal  according  to  the  season  of  the  year.      If  the  legs  are  cold, 

hand-rub  and  bandage  them,  and  allow  the  animal  to  have  plenty 

of  fresh  air  in  the  stable  as  long  as  he  does  not  stand  in  a  draft. 

Support  the  system  and  assist  nature  to  throw  off"  the  disease,  for 

influenza    will    run    its    course    in    spite   of    medicine.      Keep    the 

bowels  loose  by  feeding  on    soft    food   with  plenty  of  boiled   flax 

seed  in  it,  but  never,  under  any  circumstances,  give  the  animal  a 

physic  drench.      Give  him  the  following  medicine: 

Chlorate  of  Potash ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^       " 

Powdered  Digitalis ^       " 

Mix   thoroughly  together   and    give  a  teaspoonful    every  six 

hours  on  his  tongue  with   a   spoon.      In  feeding,  give    the    animal 

small  quantities,  so  he  will   be   able   to   eat   it  all  without  leaving 

any  in  his  manger;  but   give  it   to   him    often.      Allow  the  animal 

cold  water  to  drink  in  small   quantities  but  often.      Rub  his  throat 

well  with  the  white  liniment  four  or  five  times  a  day,   and  if  his 

lungs    become  aff'ected,    apply   a   light   mustard    plaster  over   the 

sides   of  the   chest   every  day;    continue   this   treatment  until  the 

animal  seems  relieved.      In  cases  where  the  animal  is  very  weak, 

give  a  wine  glassful  of  whisky  in  a  pint  of  oatmeal  gruel  three  or 

four  times   a   day   as  a   drench,   being  careful   not   to   choke    the 

animal ;   this  is  a  great  thing  to  keep  up  the  strength.      When  the 

animal  is  getting  better,  the  eye  gets  clear;   he  will  take  notice  of 

things    about    him;     the    pulse    gets    more    natural — slower    and 

stronger — and   the   appetite   gets    better.      After   the   disease    has 

passed  off,  and  the  animal  seems   very   weak   and   thin,    give   the 

following  mixture: 

—11— 


162  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Sulphate  of  Iron i  pound. 

Ground  ( ientian  Root J 

Mix  thoroughly  and  g-ive   a   large   teaspoonful    three   times   a 

dav  in   nis  feed.      Feed  well  and  give  gentle  exercise  every  day. 

This  disease,    if  treated   this   way,  and   allowed   to  run   its   course 

without    getting  cold,    will  terminate    favorably.       But    above    all 

things  never  bleed,  or  give  aconite  or  a  physic  in  this  disease,  for 

it  only  tends  to  make  the  animal  weaker  and  the  disease   worse. 

BUTTON  FARCY  (PURPURA  HEMORRHAGICA). 

This  disease  is  not  contagious  or  does  not  spread  Irom  one 
animal  to  another.  It  is  defined  to  be  some  putrid  condition  or 
charbonous  affection  of  the  blood.  The  disease  mostly  affects  the 
capillary  blood  vessels  of  the  skin,  but  in  some  cases  it  will  affect 
the  lining  of  the  lungs  and  air  passages. 

Causes. — It  generally  comes  after  some  other  disease,  such  as 
influenza,  distemper  or  any  other  weakening  ailment,  also  in 
horses  that  are  overworked,  thin  and  run  down  in  condition. 
When  the  system  is  in  this  state  by  turning  the  animal  out  cold 
nights  or  allowing  him  to  be  out  in  a  cold  rain,  and  he  gets  a  chill, 
you  need  not  be  surprised  to  see  this  disease  come  on.  It  is 
noticed  mostly  in  the  spring  and  fall.  The  blood  gets  very  thin, 
almost  like  water,  when  the  animal  is  suffering  from  this 
disease. 

Symptoms. — The  disease  generally  comes  on  very  suddenly, 
the  horse  may  be  apparently  all  right  at  night,  and  in  the  morning 
he  will  be  literally  covered  with  patches  of  swelling  all  over  the 
skin.  In  some  cases  it  affects  the  animal  more  in  some  parts 
than  in  others,  for  instance,  we  have  seen  cases  where  the  eyelids 
were  so  swollen  the  animal  could  not  see  out  of  them,  his  lips 
will  also  be  swollen  so  much  he  cannot  eat,  in  other  cases  his 
sheath  and  legs  will  be  badly  swollen,  or  little  spots  may  be  seen 
all  over  the  skin,  especially  on  the  sides  of  the  neck  and  thighs  and 
over  the  back.  The  peculiarities  about  these  swellings  are  that 
they  come  on  so  quickly,  and  sometimes  disappear  from  one  part 
of  the  body  and  come  on  in  another.  By  giving  the  animal  exer- 
cise it  will  take  them  down,  but  afterwards  the  lumps  will  come 
back  worse  than  ever.  Examine  the  lining  of  the  nose,  and  if  it  is 
affected  watch  out  for  lung  disease.  The  general  symptoms  are 
the  animal  will  seem  dull  and  breathe  a  little  heavier  than  natural, 
pulse  not  much  changed,  but  weak,  and   he  will   generally  try  and 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  163 

eat  some.      Cases  have  been  known  where  the  swelHng"  got  so  bad 

that  patches  of  the  skin  would  drop  off  and  leave  raw  sores. 

Treatment. — It    runs    its    course     in     three     to     thirty    days. 

Place  the  animal  in  a  comfortable  box  stall,  attend  to  his  general 

comforts  and  keep  him  warm.      Give  him  the  following  drench  : 

Raw  linseed  Oil ^    pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  together  and  give  as  a  drench,  repeat  this  drench  every 
three  days  until  the  animal  is  relieved.  Give  him  a  teaspoonful  of 
chlorate  of  potash  three  times  a  day  on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon 
until  he  is  better.  Feed  on  good,  light,  soft  food  with  plenty  of 
boiled  flaxseed  in  it  to  keep  the  bowels  loose.  Do  not  apply  any- 
thing externally  unless  the  swelling  breaks  out  ;  if  it  does,  bathe 
three  times  a  day,  and  after  bathing  apply  the  white  lotion. 
Never,  in  any  case,  attempt  to  open  any  of  these  lumps,  tor  it 
only  does  harm.  Bleeding  is  good  in  the  early  stages  of  the  dis- 
ease if  the  animal  is  strong  enough  to  stand  it.  Be  very  careful 
in  nursing  him  that  he  doe?  not  get  a  relapse,  for  it  is  liable  to 
cause  death.  There  are  cases  known  where  the  mouth  and  nose 
have  swollen  so  badly  that  the  animal  died  from  suffocation.  The 
after  treatment  is  to  build  the  animal  up  by  regular  exercise  and 
good  food.      Give  him  the  following  tonic  mixture  : 

Sulphate  of  Iron i  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root i       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in 

his  feed. 

DISTEMPER  (STRANGLES.) 

This  is  very  common  among  Canadian  and  American  horses. 
It  receives  the  name  of  strangles  from  the  peculiar  suffocating 
noise  he  makes  in  breathing.  It  generally  attacks  young  animals 
from  the  time  they  are  foals  until  they  are  five  or  six  years  old, 
but  it  may  be  found   in  older  horses. 

Causes. — It  is  due  to  germs  in  the  blood,  and  all  colts  are  liable 
to  be  affected  with  it.  It  is  seen  most  in  the  spring  and  summer 
months  of  the  year.  These  germs  float  in  the  air  and  are  taken 
into  the  system  by  the  animal  breathing. 

Symptoms.  -The  animal  is  dull  and  languid,  and  a  small 
amount  <of  work  fatigues  him.  He  will  probably  have  a  cough 
and  sore  throat  at  first,  and  there  will  be  saliva  running  away  from 
the  mouth,  the  bowels  are  inclined  to  be  a  little  costive  or  dry 
looking,  then  there  will  be  a   lillle   lump  begin  to  form  around  the 


164  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

throat,  sometimes  under  the  throat  and  sometimes  at  the  sides. 
This  lump  gradually  gets  larger  and  causes  the  animal  to  have- 
difficulty  in  breathing,  he  is  dull,  hangs  his  head  and  soon  becomes 
very  gaunt.  The  disease  generally  runs  its  course  in  from  six  to 
twelve  days,  the  abscess  or  lump  around  the  throat  generally 
breaks  and  runs,  and  he  nearly  always  runs  at  the  nose,  which  is  a 
good  sign,  in  some  cases  there  is  more  than  one  lump  or  abscess^ 
forms,  and  if  the  poison  is  in  the  system  it  is  best  to  have  them 
brought  to  a  head  and  let  the  discharge  out  for  this  gets  the 
poison  out  of  the  blood. 

Treatment. — ^This  is  very  satisfactory  in  most  cases  :  Always 
allow  the  disease  to  run  its  course,  give  plenty  of  pure  air,  clothe 
the  body  according  to  the  season  of  the  year,  feed  on  good  food, 
such  as  boiled  oats  or  chop  stuff  with  plenty  of  boiled  flaxseed  in 
it  to  keep  the  bowels  loose.  This  is  a  disease  that  does  not  re- 
quire much  medicine.      Give  the  following  powder  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur ^      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on 
his  tongue  with  a  spoon.  Rub  the  throat  and  lumps  well  with 
white  liniment  three  times  a  day,  apply  a  hot  poultice  of  half  lin- 
seed meal  and  bran  to  the  throat  every  night,  this  will  draw  the 
abscess  or  swelling  to  a  head  and  cause  it  to  break,  which  is 
better  than  lancing.  In  cold  weather  it  is  best  to  apply  a  mustard 
plaster  to  the  swelling  instead  of  a  poultice,  for  after  the  poultice 
is  taken  oflf  the  animal  is  apt  to  catch  cold.  Never,  in  any  case, 
burn  sulphur  under  the  animal's  nose,  because  it  is  apt  to  set  up 
inflammation  of  the  lungs.  In  case  the  lump  gets  so  large  around 
the  throat  that  the  animal's  life  is  threatened  by  choking,  you 
may  then  perform  the  operation  of  tracheotomy,  which  is  per- 
formed by  cutting  into  the  windpipe  on  the  underside  about  nine 
inches  down  the  neck  from  the  larynx  (Adam's  apple).  About 
thi  part  of  the  neck  you  will  find  that  the  windpipe  is 
almost  bare — just  covered  with  the  skin — cut  a  hole  through  the 
skin  about  two  and  one-half  inches  long,  then  cut  across  three  of 
the  rings  of  the  windpipe  and  have  the  regular  tracheotomy  tube 
to  put  in  the  hole  and  keep  the  rings  open  so  the  horse  can 
breathe  through  this  opening  until  the  abscess  or  lump  breaks 
and  the  swelling  goes  down  so  he  can  breathe  through  his  throat, 
when  this  occurs  take  the  tube  out  and  draw  the  skin  back  to  its 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  165 

place  by  putting  two  or  three  stitches  across  it,  then  treat  it  as  a 
common  cut  by  bathing  two  or  three  times  a  day.  and  after  bath- 
ing, each  time  apply  the  white  lotion,  and  the  hole  will  soon  heal 
up.  During  the  time  the  tube  is  in  the  throat  it  is  best  to  take  it 
out  and  clean  it  once  a  day. 

BASTARD  STRANGLES. 

This  generally  follows  simple  strangles  or  distemper. 

Causes. — Is  from  the  matter  in  the  abscess  or  lump  being 
absorbed  into  the  system  and  poisoning  the  blood. 

Symptoms. — Abscesses  of  the  same  nature  as  the  one  which 
forms  in  the  throat  from  distemper  are  liable  to  form  and  break 
out  in  any  part  of  the  body,  sometimes  around  the  shoulder,  flank, 
neck  or  hips,  but  the  rest  of  the  general  symptoms  are  the  same 
as  in  simple  strangles.  These  abscesses  will  keep  forming  until  the 
poison  is  out  of  the  blood. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  the  same  as  -in  a  simple  case  of 
strangles.  Give  the  same  medicine,  bathe,  poultice  and  rub  the 
abscesses  with  white  liniment  and  try  and  bring  them  to  a  head 
so  that  thev  will  break  themselves,  or  lance  them  to  get  the 
poison  out  of  the  blood,  for  this  is  the  only  way  to  get  rid  of  the 
disease.  The  danger  in  this  disease  is  that  the  abscesses  may  form 
inside  on  the  lungs  or  bowels  and  cause  the  animal's  death.  We 
have  known  of  some  cases  where  the  animal  would  break  out 
forty  or  fifty  times,  depending  upon  the  amount  of  poison  in  the 
blood. 

PINK  EYE  (EPIZOOTIC  CELLULITIS). 

'ihe  disease  affects  the  cellular  tissue  under  the  skin,  and  like 
the  other  fevers  of  the  horse,  runs  a  course  which  takes  from  six 
to  nine  days,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  if  treated  properly,  runs  its 
course  favorably. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  due  to  germs  in  the  air,  and  when 
■once  it  starts  it  spreads  all  over  the  country  from  one  horse 
to  another.  There  was  a  great  outbreak  of  this  disease  between 
1875  and  1880,  which  spread  all  over  the  country. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  becomes  dull  and  feverish,  and  his 
eyes  are  red  and  swollen,  and  afterwards  turns  to  a  pinkish  color, 
from  which  the  disease  receives  its  name — pink  eye.  The  animal 
does  not  <2at  well;  his  temperature  runs  from  a  103  to  105  degrees; 
his  mouth  is  hot  and  dry,  and  he  falls  off  greatly  in  condition  ;  his 
manure  is  hard  and  dry;  there  is  a  discharge  from  the  eyes  and  a 


166  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

swelling  of  the  limbs  and  belly,  and  in  some  cases  he  has  a  cough. 

Treatment.—  This    disease  is  a  very   simple  one  to  treat,    in 

most  cases,  if  there    is   not  too  much   medicine  used.      Allow  the 

dise"'^e  to  run  its  course  ;  keep  the  body  warm  ;   have  the  stable 

clean,  and  allow  the  animal  to  have  plenty  of  fresh  air.      Feed  on. 

soft  food  with  plenty  of  boiled  flax  seed  to  keep  the  bowels  loose, 

and  give  the  following  simple  medicine  to  act  on  the  blood  : 

Chlorate  of  Potash ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on 
his  tongue  with  a  spoon.  Never  mix  chlorate  of  potash  and 
sulphur  together,  as  it  will  explode  and  is  very  dangerous.  Give 
the  animal  plenty  of  cold  water  to  drink  in  small  quantities.  In 
cases  where  the  animal  is  very  weak  give  as  a  stimulant  a  wine 
glassful  of  whisky  in  a  pint  of  gruel  three  times  a  day,  and  never, 
under  any  circumstances,  give  a  physic  in  this  disease.  It  is  well 
to  wash  out  the  nostrils  and  eyes  twice  a  day  with  luke  warm 
water.  After  a  few  days  you  will  see  the  animal  began  to  take 
notice  of  things  around  him  and  gradually  gets  better. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  SKIN. 

CRACKED  HEELS  (SCRATCHES). 

This  disease  is  common  among  horses,  and  affects  the  heels, 
the  heels  of  the  hind  legs  being  oftener  affected  than  the  front. 

Causes. — Anything  that  will  irritate  the  skin  tends  to  produce 
this  disease.  In  the  fall  and  spring,  when  there  is  wet  and  muddy 
roads,  washing  and  not  properly  drying  the  legs,  standing  iti 
badly  kept  stables,  or  by  wearing  boots  on  the  legs.  Heavy, 
hairy-legged  horses  are  more  subject  to  it  than  light  horses. 

Symptoms. — The  affected  legs  have  a  tendency  to  swell  and 
are  stiff  and  sore  about  the  heels,  the  skin  becomes  cracked  and 
scaly-looking  at  the  back  of  the  heels,  and  in  some  cases,  when 
you  are  driving  him,  the  heels  will  bleed. 

Treatment. — The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  feed  on  soft  food  and 

give  a  physic  drench  consistng  of  the  following: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  167 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 

allowing  the  animal  to  stand    in   the   stable   the  next   day.      After 

this  give  him  the  following  powder  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i  pound. 

Sulphur i 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give   a   teaspoonful   twice   a   day  in   his 

feed,    this    will    cool   his  blood    and   get    him   in   good   condition. 

Bathe  the   heels  with   luke   warm   water  and   a  little   castile  soap 

night  and  morning,  after  bathing  wipe  dry  with  a  soft  cloth  and 

apply  the  white  lotion.      Before  you  take  him  out  to  work  rub  his 

heels  with  vaseline  or  lard  to  keep  the  heels  soft  and  protect  them 

from  the   dirt   and   water  while    you   are   working   him.      In  cases 

where  the  heels  are  very  sore  and  swollen   apply  a  hot  poultice  oi 

half  linseed  meal  and  bran  to  them  every   night  for  awhile  until  he 

seems  better. 

MUD  FEVER. 

Tliis  is  inflammation  of  the  skin  of  the  legs  and  the  under  part 
of  the  belly. 

Causes  are  similar  to  that  of  scratches,  and  the  disease  is 
seen  mostly  in  the  fall  and  spring  during  the  wet  weather,  when 
the  cold,  muddy  water  splashes  over  the  legs  and  belly,  or  wash- 
ing the  legs  with  cold  water  and  not  drying  them  properly. 

Symptoms. — The  legs  art  swollen  and  stiff,  the  skin  is  hot 
and  tender,  and  the  hair  falls  off  in  patches. 

Treatment. — Give  the  same  medicine  internally  as  that  given 
for  scratches  to  cool  and  clean  the  blood.  If  the  legs  are  dirty 
bathe  them  off  with  luke  warm  water  and  a  little  castile  soap  and 
dry  them  with  a  soft  cloth  ;  after  this  don't  bathe,  but  brush  off  with 
a  sott  brush  and  apply  the  white  lotion  twice  a  day,  which  is  sooth- 
ing and  healing  to  the  skin.  Keep  the  animal  out  of  the  wet  and 
mud  as  much  as  possible.  If  you  have  to  work  him,  each  time 
before  you  take  him  out,  rub  the  parts  affected  with  vaseline  or 
lard,  which  will  soften  and  protect  the  affected  skin. 

GREASE. 

This  disease  generally  follows  cases  of  scratches  that  are 
neglected.  It  affects  the  glands  of  the  legs,  as  well  as  the  skin, 
and  is  more  common  in  heavy,  hairy-legged  horses  that  have 
round,  fleshy  legs.  It  may  be  caused  from  bad  blood  and  swollen 
legs,  and  is  more  often  seen  in  the  hind  legs  than  in  the  front 
ones.  It  is  also  brought  on  by  clipping  horse's  legs  in  cold,  wet 
weather. 


168  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  thickening  and  swelling-  of  the  legs, 
the  hair  stands  out  on  the  legs,  and  they  are  hot  and  tender,  and 
there  is  an  oily  discharge  from  around  the  heels,. which  has  a  bad 
smell  in  some  cases.  This  is  how  the  disease  got  its  name,  grease. 
When  the  animal  is  working  the  swelling  goes  down,  but  comes 
back  again  during  the  night. 

Treatment. — It  is  hard  to  effect  a  complete  cure,  but  you  can 
relieve  the  animal  to  a  certain  extent  by  giving  a  physic  drench, 
and  powders,  same  as  are  mentioned  in  scratches,  to  cool  and 
clean  the  blood,  feed  on  soft  food,  bathe  the  legs  with  warm 
water  and  castile  soap  twice  a  day  ;  after  bathing  rub  dry  and 
apply  the  white  lotion  with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  it  to 
destroy  the  smell,  poultice  the  legs  every  night  with  hot  bran  and 
linseed  meal  to  soothe  and  draw  the  oily  stuff  out  of  them.  This 
will  generally  fix  the  legs  up  in  good  shape  for  some  time.  In 
cases  where  it  is  very  bad  and  in  the  "grapous"  stage,  and  there  is 
little  red  growths  around  the  heel,  which  look  like  a  bunch  of 
grapes,  burn  them  off  with  caustic  potash  or  chlorate  of  zinc, 
which  is  in  the  form  of  little  sticks. 

SIMPLE  ECZEMA. 

This  disease  is  sometimes  mistaken  for  mange,  but  unlike 
mange,  it  is  not  caused  by  germs  or  parasites  working  in  the  skin. 
It  is  mostly  noticed  in  hot  weather,  when  the  animal  is  fed  on 
very  hot  food,  which  heats  the  blood,  such  as  barley  and  other 
hot  foods. 

Symptoms. — First  there  is  a  dryness  in  the  skin  around  the 
head,  neck  and  tail,  then  little  pimples  will  form,  which  will  break 
and  run  a  watery-looking  fluid.  After  the  animal  is  brought  in 
from  work  he  will  be  very  itchy  and  rub  himself  against  the 
manger  until  the  skin  is  almost  raw. 

Treatment. — You  can  relieve  the  disease  at  the  time,  but 
when  a  horse  once  becomes  affected  with  this  disease  it  will  gen- 
erally break  out  every  summer  afterwards  during  hot  weather. 
Give  the  animal  a  physic  drench  and  powders  the  same  as  are 
mentioned  for  the  treatment  of  scratches  to  clean  and  cool  the 
blood,  and  rub  him  twice  a  day  with  any  of  the  following  washes  : 
Corrosive  sublimate,  one  dram  to  the  pint  of  rainwater,  mix 
together  and  shake  well  before  using  ;  creolin  may  be  used,  two 
tablespoonfuls  to  the  pint  of  water,  mix  together  and  shake  well 
before  using  ;  tincture  of  iodine  may  be  used,  two  drams  to  the 
pint  of  water  and  shake  well  before  using.      Of  the  three  receipts 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  169 

mentioned,  the  cheapest  and  favorite  one,  and  the  one  we  use 
mostly  is  the  creolin,  which  will  cost  about  two  or  three  cents,  and 
acts  as  well  as  any.  The  way  to  apply  the  lotion  is  first  to  take  a 
fine  brush  and  brush  all  the  dust  out  of  the  skin  and  then  apply 
the  wash  by  rubbing;  it  all  over  the  affected  skin  with  a  sponge  or 
cloth.      Do  this  twice  a  day  until  he  stops  rubbing  himself. 

NETTLE  RASH  (SURFEIT). 

Causes. — This  is  generally  caused  from  feeding  hot  and  over- 
ripe food,  or  giving  a  drink  of  cold  water  when  the  animal  is 
heated,  or  from  overheating  the  animal  by  driving  him  too 
fast. 

Symptoms. — Small  pimples  will  appear  in  the  skin  around  the 
head,  neck  and  shoulders,  but  may  affect  the  skin  in  other  parts  of 
the  body.      This  disease  is  noticed  at  all  times  of  the  year. 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal  a  physic  drench  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Ginger   1  tablespoouful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint   of   luke   warm   water    and    give  as   a  drench, 

allow  the  animal  to  stand  in  the  stable  the  next  day,  feed  on  soft 

food,  and  follow  up  after  this  with  the  following  powder  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root J  pound. 

Sulphur I      " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^      " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day 

on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon  until  the  pimples  disappear. 

WARTS. 

Warts  are  thickenings  or  growths  on  the  skin. 

Causes. — It  is  difficult  to  say  what  is  the  cause,  but  some 
animals  seem  to  be  more  inclined  to  warts  than  others,  and  they 
may  be  found  on  any  part  of  the  body. 

Treatment. — If  the  warts  have  a  neck  to  the.m  they  are  easy 
got  rid  of  by  what  is  known  as  cording  them,  that  is  tying  a 
small,  strong  cord  on  the  wart  as  close  to  the  skin  as  you  can  tie 
it ;  by  tying  it  very  light  it  will  stop  the  circulation  of  the  blood  in 
the  wart  and  cause  it  to  die  and  fall  off  in  a  short  time.  If  they 
have  a  large  neck  and  you  cannot  cord  them  cut  them  off  with  a 
sharp  knife  or  scissors,  and  burn  them  a  little  with  caustic  potash, 
which  will  kill  the  roots  and  stop  them  from  growing  again. 
They  are  also  nicely  taken  off  with  an  ecraseur,  if  you  have  one. 


170  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

MELANOTIC  TUMORS. 

These  tumors  only  affect  gray  horses,  and  are  found  mostly 
to  be  amund  the  tail,  sheath,  Hps  and  ears,  but  may  be  found  on 
other  parts  of  the  body. 

Causes. — The  exact  cause  is  not  known. 

Symptoms. — These  tumors  are  generally  small,  varying  from 
the  size  of  a  bean  up  to  the  size  of  a  pigeon's  egg,  and  are  in 
bunches.  They  are  not  sore  to  handle,  nor  do  they  break  out, 
but  simply  grow  until  they  cause  trouble  to  the  parts  they  are  in. 

Treatment. — As  long  as  they  do  not  interfere  with  the  animal 

in  any  way  it  is  best  to  leave  them  alone,  but  as  soon  as  you  fear  they 

are  going  to  cause   trouble  it   is   best  to   cut  them   off  by   using 

a     sharp     knife     and     putting      Monsell's    solution     of     iron     on 

them    to    stop    the    bleeding ;    or    tie    a   tight  cord    around   them 

allowing  them  to  drop  off  themselves  the  same  as  a  wart;  or  take 

them  off  with  an  ecrasure,  which  is  an  instrument  for  that  purpose. 

After  they  are  off  treat  the  part   as   a  common  wound   by  bathing 

twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water  and  applying  white  lotion  each 

time  after  bathing. 

MANGE. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  from  a  germ  or  parasite  working 
down  into  the  skin  and  .'■tting  up  the  disease.  One  horse  will 
catch  the  disease  from  another,  also  men  and  other  animals  will 
take  the  disease  from  the  horse,  so  you  see  it  is  best  to  be  careful 
if  you  think  the  animal  has  mange.  It  is  most  seen  in  animals 
that  are  in  poor  condition,  with  long,  dirty  hair,  but  it  will  affect 
animals  that  are  in  good  condition.  The  disease  is  generally  car- 
ried from  one  horse  to  another  by  the  groom's  clothes,  harness  or 
brushes. 

Symptoms. — The  insects  burrow  down  into  the  skin  and  set 
up  an  irritation  which  breaks  and  runs  a  watery  discharge,  the  hair 
falls  off  in  patches,  and  the  animal  is  extremely  itchy.  The  dis- 
ease generally  commences  around  the  mane  and  tail,  and  gradually 
spreads  over  the  body.  To  make  sure  of  the  disease  being  mange 
examine  a  few  of  the  scales  under  the  microscope,  and  if  you  find 
the  small  germs  or  parasites  in  it  you  will  know  that  it  is  a  case  of 
mange  you  have  to  deal  with. 

Treatment. — Apply  something  that  will  destroy  the  germs  or 
parasites  in  the  skin.  If  the  horse's  hair  is  long,  clip  him,  and 
wash  the  body  off  with  luke  warm  water  and  a  little  soap  ;  then 
apply  any  of  the  following-  washes: 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  171 

Carbolic  Acid i  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Sweet  Oil 1  pint. 

Mix  and   shake  well  together;   rub  it  around  his  head,   neck 

and  shoulders  the  first  day;   the    second   rub    it  around  the  chest, 

belly  and  over  the  back ;   and  the  third  day   put   it   over  his  hind 

quarters  and  legs.      It   is  best  not  to  go  over  the  whole  body  the 

same  day,  as  too  much  of  the   carbolic   acid    would    be   absorbed 

into  the  system  and  might  cause  poisoning.      Another  very  good 

wash,  and  one  we  think  better  than  the  above,  is: 

Creolin 2  ounces  or  8  tablespoouf ula. 

Rain  Water 1  quart. 

Shake   well  and  rub  in  thoroughly  all  over  the  skin  twice  a 

week  until  the  parasites  are  killed.      This  is  by  far  the  cheapest  and 

best    remedy   known ;  you    can    cure   a   case   for    ten    cents.       To 

prevent  the  disease  from  spreading  to  other  animals,  wash  with 

carbolic  water,  everything  that  he  has  come  in  contact  with,   that 

is,  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  warm  water;   this  will   kill  the 

germs  or  parasites  and  prevent  the  disease  from  spreading.      Feed 

on  soft  food  and  give  a  teaspoonful  of  sulphur  in  his  food   twice 

a  dav. 

RINGWORM  ON  HORSES. 

Causes. — it  is  caused  from  germs  or  parasites  working  In  the 
skin,  but  is  not  so  common  in  horses  as  in  cattle. 

Symptoms. — it  often  attacks  the  animal  around  the  eyes  and 
nose.  The  germs  or  parasites  work  in  circles,  which  causes  the 
hair  to  fall  off  and  leaves  round,  bald  spots.  If  not  checked,  it 
will  soon  spread  over  the  body.  Men  are  liable  to  take  this 
disease  from  horses  and  cattle,  and  horses  and  cattle  are  liable  to 
take  it  from  men. 

Treatment. — The  best  and  cheapest  remedy,  and  never  known 
to  fail  in  our  experience,  is  crude  petroleum  oil  as  it  comes  out  of 
the  ground.  This  can  be  bought  at  almost  any  store  in  the  country 
or  city.  The  way  to  use  this  is  to  paint  it  over  the  spot  where  the 
ringworm  is  working,  and  let  it  go  a  half-inch  over  the  edge  of 
ringworm  on  to  the  good  skin  so  as  to  check  the  disease  from 
spreading,  Apply  this  once  a  day  until  the  ringworrc  is  gone. 
If  it  blisters  the  skin,  stop  using  it  for  a  day  or  so  and  then 
continue  again.  Another  very  good  remedy  is  to  paint  the  spot 
where  the  ringworm  is  with  tincture  of  iodine  every  two  or  three 
days  until  the  ringworm  is  gone. 


172  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

LICE  ON  HORSES. 

The  lice  may  be  common  horse  lice  or  hen  lice.  The  hen 
lice  are  very  small  and  reddish  looking-,  and  travel  very  fast. 
They  get  on  the  horse  from  being  too  near  a  lousy  hen 
house,  or  from  hens  roosting  in  the  stable.  The  horse  lice  are 
larger  than  the  hen  lice;  they  have  a  long,  brownish  body  and 
travel  very  slowly,  and  they  are  generally  found  on  horses  that 
are  turned  out  and  have  long,  dirty  hair. 

Symptoms. — The  horse's  coat  looks  rough  ;  he  does  not  thrive 
well,  and  keeps  rubbing  his  sides,  neck  and  tail  until  he  has  the 
hair  worn  off,  and  he  seems  in  perfect  misery.  By  examining  the 
hair  closely  you  will  see  there  is  lice  on  him. 

Treatment. — Kill    the   lice   by   washing  the  body  off  well  with 

kike  warm  water  and  soap,  then  dry  him  off  by   rubbing  him  with 

cloths,  and  apply  the  following  wash : 

Cceoline 2  ounces  or  8  tablespoon fuls. 

Rain  Water 1  quart. 

Shake   well   and    apply  all  over  the  body   every    third  day  by 

rubbing  it  well  into  the  skin.      Keep   the  treatment   up   until   you 

have   all   the  lice   killed.      Another  very  good  remedy  is  a  plug  of 

"  black-strap"  chewing  tobacco  well  cut  up  and  steeped  in  a  gallon 

of  rain  water  and  rub  well   in   all   over   the   body   every  third   day 

until  the  lice  are  killed. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  BRAIN  AND  NERVOUS 
SYSTEM  IN  GENERAL. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BRAIN  AND  ITS  COVERINGS  (PHRENITIS). 

This  is  not  a  ver}-  common  disease,  but  is  sometimes  met 
with.      Congestion  first  sets  up,  which  is  followed  by  inflammation. 

Causes. —  From  a  tumor  growing  around  the  brain  ;  or  a  severe 
injury  to  the  skull,  with  or  without  fracture;  or  continued 
exposure  to  the  heat  by  being  out  in  the  hot  sun  will  cause  it; 
it  is  also  sometimes  caused  after  a  case  of  distemper  or  strangles, 
where  there  is  an  abscess  formed  in  the  brain  ;  also  from  other 
causes  we  cannot  account  for. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptoms  are  marked  dullness.  If  the 
animal  is  standing  in  the  stall,  he  will  rest  his  head  against  the 
manger ;  the  pupil  of  the  eye  will  be  very  large ;  his  pulse  will  be 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  173 

beating  quite  strong,  but  will  beat  slow  sometimes — only  twent): 
times  per  minute — and  there  will  be  a  peculiar  snoring  noise  made 
in  breathing,  After  this  dullness  passes  off,  then  there  will  be  the 
reverse  taks;  place.  The  animal  will  be  greatly  excited — seems 
perfectly  mad,  and  acts  like  a  mad  horse;  the  pulse,  in  this 
stage,  becomes  a  great  deal  quicker,  and  the  breathing  louder ; 
the  animal  reels  around  in  his  box  with  his  head  very  high,  and 
in  some  cases  will  rear  up  and  put  his  front  feet  in  the  manger; 
and  at  times  he  moves  like  a  piece  of  machinery.  Sometimes  he 
will  be  noticed  to  be  walking  around  in  his  box  with  his  head  to 
one  side;  this  is  caused  from  the  brain  being  affected  on  that  side. 
In  some  cases,  if  you  try  to  lead  him  he  will  fall  down;  but  at 
times  he  will  have  quiet  spells,  after  which  the  exciting  symptoms 
will  again  return  and  be  more  alarming  than  at  first.  We  have 
seen  cases  where  the  animal  would  twist  his  head  down  between 
his  front  legs  and  hold  it  in  that  position. 

Treatment. —  It  is  dangerous  treating  an  animal  with  this 
disease,  and  you  have  to  be  careful  in  going  around  him.  Give 
him  a  good  physic  drench  consisting  of: 

Bitter  Aloes 10  to  12  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
One  hour  after  the  above  drench  give  the  following: 

Bromide  of  Potassium 2  drams  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every  two 
hours,  and  apply  cold  water  cloths  and  ice  to  his  head  until  he 
gets  relief ;  cover  his  body  up  nice  and  warm  with  blankets. 
In  a  case  where  the  animal  is  in  good  condition,  and  you  notice 
the  disease  coming  on,  bleed  him  ;  take  a  half  or  three-quarters 
of  a  pail  of  blood  from  him.  If  you  bleed  him,  follow  up  with  the 
above  treatment,  but  only  give  him  about  eight  to  ten  drams  of 
bitter  aloes  and  not  so  much  aconite. 

SUNSTROKE. 

This  disease  is  common  to  all  animals,  and  more  especially  to 
man.  It  generally  attacks  hard-working  horses  in  the  hot  months 
of  summer,  It  is  a  congested  state  of  the  blood  vessels  of  the 
brain,  with  loss  of  power  and  feeling. 

Causes. —  Exposure  to  the  hot  sun,  as  a  general  thing,  and 
especially  so  if  the   horse   has   been   high  fed  and  kept  in  a  poorly 


174  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

ventilated  stable.  It  is  often  seen  in  taking  a  horse  out  of  a 
pasture  field  and  giving-  him  a  hard  day's  work  in  the  sun  when 
he  is  not  used  to  it. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptoms  are  dullness  and  dryness  of 
the  skin,  and  if  the  horse  is  working  he  will  not  be  sweating  as 
much  as  he  should ;  he  will  also  be  noticed  not  to  take  his  food 
very  well,  and  have  a  staggering  gait  when  he  is  walking.  These 
symptoms  may  be  noticed  two  or  three  days  before  the  disease 
sets  in.  If  he  is  working  he  will  finally  stagger  and  fall  down,  he 
may  then  struggle  for  a  short  time,  but,  finally,  will  lie  quiet,  with 
complete  loss  of  power  and  feeling  ;  if  you  prick  him  with  a  pin  or 
knife  he  does  not  feel  it,  the  pupil  of  the  eye  is  very  much  enlarged, 
the  pulse  quick  and  weak,  he  breathes  heavy,  and  when  you  try  to 
get  him  up  he  will  not  be  able  to  help  himself  at  all. 

Treatment.^Apply  cold,  wet  cloths  and  ice  bags  to  the  head 
around  the  brain,  and  keep  these  on  until  he  gets  relief,  and  also  give 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Whisky 1  wineglassful. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  cold  water  and  give  as  a  drench.      Repeat 

this  every  hour  and  a  half  or  two    hours   until  he   gets  relief.     Be 

careful  in  drenching  him  while  in  this  state  for  fear  of  choking  him. 

As  well  as  the  above  drench  give  a  dose  of  physic  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
If  the  animal  seems  to  take  notice  to  things  around  him  and  wants 
to  eat,  give  him  soft  food  with  boiled  flaxseed  in  it,  and  give 
plenty  of  cold  water  to  drink,  in  small  quantities  at  a  time,  but 
often.  If  the  horse  lays  for  any  length  of  time  turn  him  over  two 
or  three  times  every  da},  this  will  prevent  his  lungs  from  becom- 
ing aff'ected,  and  he  will  lie  easier.  Keep  the  body  very  warm 
with  plenty  of  blankets,  this  will  have  a  tendency  to  draw  the 
blood  away  from  his  head.  In  this  case,  as  in  others,  when  the 
animal  is  down  keep  plenty  of  dry  bedding  under  him.  As  soon 
as  he  wants  to  get  up,  and  seems  able,  help  him  to  his  feet. 

CONCUSSION  OF  THE  BRAIN. 
Causes. — It  generally  occurs  in  a  horse  when  he  is  running 
away  and  strikes  his  head  against  something,  or  in  rearing  up 
and  falling  back  and  striking  the  pole  of  the  head.  In  some  cases 
he  gets  better  quickly,  while  in  other  cases  he  may  die  very 
suddenly. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  175 

Symptoms. — In  a  pure  case  of  this  the  animal  looses  all 
motion  and  feeling",  he  becomes  completely  paralyzed,  and  may 
lie  without  much  signs  of  life.  The  pupils  of  the  eyes  will  be  very 
large,  his  pulse  will  be  very  weak.  If  there  is  no  sign  of  fracture 
of  the  skull  bones  there  is  hopes  of  recovery.  He  will  first  begin 
to  show  signs  of  consciousness  by  trying  to  get  up,  but  will  rise 
on  his  hind  legs  first,  and  it  may  be  some  time  before  he  will  be  able 
to  rise  on  his  front  legs.  In  some  cases  the  animal  gets  better 
quicker  than  in  others,  according  to  the  amount  of  injury  to  the  brain. 

Treatment.— Same  as  that  given  for  sunstroke. 

STOMACH  STAGGERS  (MEGRIMS). 

Causes. — It  may  be  caused  in  various  ways.  Anything  that 
will  interfere  with  the  f\ow  of  blood  to  the  brain,  such  as  heart 
disease  ;  from  indigestion  ;  from  horses  working  in  a  tight  collar; 
or  from  a  small  tumor  growing  and  pressing  on  the  brain. 
Very  nervous  animals  are  more  subject  to  this  than  others  of  the 
opposite  temperament. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  be  attacked  suddenly  ;  he 
staggers  and  becomes  unmanageable  and  falls  to  the  ground. 
These  symptoms  may  pass  off  in  a  few  minutes,  and  the  animal 
apparently  seems  as  well  as  ever.  A  horse  once  affected  with 
this  disease  is  unfit  to  use  for  single  driving,  for  he  may  take  one 
of  these  fits  at  any  time  and  fall  down  without  showing  the  slight- 
est sign  before  it. 

Treatment. — Dash  cold  water  on  his  head  until  he  comes  to, 

and  afterwards  give  him  a  physic  drench  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Common   Soda 1    tablespoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.  If 
there  is  anything  wrong  with  his  stomach  this  will  generally  re- 
lieve him,  and  it  might  be  he  would  never  have  another  attack  of 
it.  If  it  is  from  a  tight  collar,  put  a  large  one  on  him.  In  some  cases 
it  is  recommended  to  give  after  the  physic  a  teaspoonful  of  bromide 
of  potassium  in  his  feed  twice  a  day,  for  a  while,  to  act  on  his  nerves. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  SPINAL  CORD  AND  COVERINGS  (SPINITIS). 
Causes. — -It  is  sometimes  caused  from  the  animal  injuring  its 
back  by  falling  over  a  bank  while  running  away,  by  severe  exer- 
tion from  nervous  excitement.  We  have  seen  a  case  where  a  colt, 
running  in  a  pasture  field,  fell  and  hurt  himself.  It  may  also  be 
brought  on  by  throwing  an  animal. 


176  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — At  first  the  symptoms  may  not  be  so  well  marked, 
but  they  gradually  come  on.  The  animal  seems  very  feverish  and 
weak,  has  a  staggering  gait,  and  will  sometimes  be  noticed  to 
strike  his  hind  fetlocks  in  walking,  and,  in  some  cases,  if  you  go 
to  turn  him  around  he  will  fall  down,  and,  as  a  general  thing,  if 
the  disease  is  allowed  to  run  on,  it  soon  causes  paralysis  and  death. 

Treatment. — Give  a  physic  drench  of 

Bitter  Aloes . .    8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  also, 
give  the  following  powder  : 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica ,^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root J       " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre |      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  in  his  feed  or  on 
his  tongue  with  a  spoon  every  night  and  morning.  Keep  the 
animal  very  quiet  in  a  comfortable  place  and  blister  him  along  the 
back  with  a  mustard  plaster — quarter  of  a  pound  of  mustard  and 
enough  vinegar  to  make  it  into  a  paste,  -put  this  plaster  on  every 
day  for  a  few  days.  When  the  horse  is  getting  better  and  his 
back  very  sore  where  you  blistered  him,  oil  his  back  with  sweet 
oil,  lard  or  goose  oil.  Feed  the  animal  on  soft  food  with  plenty  of 
boiled  flaxseed  in  it  to  keep  his  bowels  loose.  If  the  animal  gets 
down  always  assist  him  in  getting  up,  for  when  once  he  gets  off 
of  his  feet  entirely  there  is  very  little  hopes  of  recovery. 

PARALYSIS. 

Paralysis  may  be  in  the  complete  or  partial  form.  Complete 
paralysis  is  when  there  is  loss  of  motion  and  feeling  all  over  the 
body,  and  in  cases  of  this  kind  death  soon  comes  on.  Partial 
paralysis  is  where  there  will  be  one  part  of  the  body  affected,  such 
as  the  hind  quarters,  or  he  may  be  paralyzed  in  one  side.  If  the 
spine  is  affected  all  of  the  parts  behind  the  affected  part  will  be 
paralyzed. 

Causes. — From  an  injury  to  the  brain  or  from  tumors  grow- 
ing around  the  brain  or  spinal  cord.  Nervous  excitement  and 
intoxicating  liquors  cause  this  disease  in  man.  In  stallions  it 
is  caused  by  being  put  to  too  many  mares,  or  from  a  horse  get- 
ting cast  ip  the  stall  and  hurting  his  back  ;  throwing  an  animal 
for  an  operation  may  hurt  him  ;  in  hunting  horses,  or  other  horses, 
it  may  be  caused  from  slipping  and  straining  the  muscles  under 
the  spine,  or  from  a   fracture   of    the    spinal    bone.      Sometimes, 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  177 

when  a  horse  has  fractured    his    ribs    he   cannot    i^-et   up.     This 
disease  is  more  often  seen  in  cows  than  in   horses. 

Symptoms.  —  if  it  is  a  case  where  the  paralysis  affects  the  one 
side  of  the  body,  the  animal  cannot  walk  straight,  but  g-oes 
around  in  a  circle,  and  has  not  the  proper  use  of  that  side.  In  a 
case  where  it  affects  the  hind  quarters,  the  animal,  when  he  lies 
down,  cannot  get  up  ;  he  will  raise  on  his  front  legs,  but  cannot 
get  up  on  his  hind  legs,  and  if  you  do  not  help  him  onto  his  feet, 
he  seems  very  uneasy;  but  during  the  time  he  is  down  he  will  eat 
and  drink  fairly  well.  If  you  prick  him  with  a  pin  in  his  hind 
part  he  cannot  feel  it.  In  cases  of  complete  paralysis,  when  he 
cannot  move  at  all,  he  soon  dies. 

Treatment. — if  you  think  that  he  could  bear  his  weight  on 
his  legs  if  he  was  up,  raise  him  with  pulleys  or  slings.  Apply  a 
mustard  plaster  over  his  back  if  the  weather  is  warm,  but  if  the 
weather  is  very  cold,  instead  of  applying  mustard,  put  a  half-paiS 
of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  over  his  kidneys  and  blanket  him  so  he  will 
be  hot,  for  what  you  need  is  heat  to  the  back  in  these  cases.  In 
cases  where  the  animal  can  stand  fairly  well,  when  he  is  up,  keep 
him  on  his  feet  as  much  as  you  can,  for  a  horse  can  stand  a 
couple  of  weeks  without  hurting  him.  If  you  allow  him  to  get 
down,  and  he  cannot  get  up,  he  will  only  flounder  around  and 
may  hurt  himself.      Give  the  following  drench : 

Bitter  Aloes S  drams. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre        1  ouuce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda I  tablespoont ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  this 
will  get  the  bowels  and  kidneys  acting;  then  give  him  the  follow- 
ing powders  to  strengthen  the  nerves  : 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica   ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash,  or  Saltpetre ^       '• 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on 

his  tongue  with  a  spoon,  or  in  soft  food  with  plenty  of  boiled   flax 

seed  in  it,  and  if  he  is  able  to  walk  give  him  gentle  exercise  everv  day. 

INFLAMMATION   OF  THE   BRAIN   AND   SPINAL  CORD  AND  THEIR 
COVERINGS  (CEREBRO-SPINAL  MENINGITIS). 

This  is  congestion  of  the  brain  and  spinal  cord  and  their 
coverings,  and  if,  in  this  state,  they  do  not  soon  get  relief,  it 
turns  into  inflammation.  This  is,  comparatively,  a  new  disease, 
and  is  not  known  in  any  other  country  but  on  this  continent. 


-1-2— 


178  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Causes. — From  horses  being  kept  in  a  crowded  stable  that  is 
poorly  ventilated  and  badly  drained,  or  from  eating-  certain  kinds 
of  grasses  Uiat  contain  too  much  narcotic  properties,  such  as  are 
grown  in  swamps. 

Symptoms. — They  vary  according  to  the  parts  most  affected. 
There  will  be  trembling  noticed  in  the  different  parts  of  the  body; 
the  animal  seems  very  dull  and  does  not  feed.  As  the  disease 
goes  on,  the  animal  will  have  a  peculiar  jerking  in  the  limbs,  and 
then  he  will  stagger,  fall  down  and  be  unable  to  rise;  the  pulse 
will  be  quick  and  weak;  the  bowels  usually  costive,  and  his  water 
is  of  a  dark  brown  color.  At  first  he  generally  lies  in  a  dull, 
stupid  manner,  breathing  heav}-,  and  sweats  freely  if  it  is 
very  warm.  Alter  a  time  the  dullness  passes  off  and  the 
animal  becomes  delirious.  If  you  give  him  water  to  drink,  he  will 
try,  but  he  cannot,  as  there  is  paralysis  of  the  gullet.  These 
svmptoms  gradually  get  worse  until  he  dies.  Wherever  you  see 
one  horse  affected  there  is  apt  to  be  more  affected,  for  the  same 
cause  that  brought  it  on  him  will  bring  it  on  the  others. 

Treatment. — If  noticed  before  the  animal  is  too  bad,  there  is 

hope  of  recovery;   but   if  the  animal   is  down  and  cannot  swallow 

before  he  is  noticed  to  be  sick,  the  chances   are   against  him.      As 

soon  as  the  disease    is   noticed,    take   one    half-pail  of  blood   from 

him  and  give  the  following  drench: 

Bitter  Aloes     ^  drams. 

Sweet  ISpirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoon ful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm   water  and  give  as  a  drench,  then 

follow  up  with  the  following  powder: 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica i  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i       " 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda i       " 

Mix  well  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  on  his  tongue  every 

three  hours  until  he  gets  relief.      Apply  a  mustard  plaster  and  hot 

cloths  along  his  back  and  cover  the  body  warm.     If  the  animal  gets 

down  turn  him  over  from  side  to  side  three  times  a  day,  and  be 

very  careful   while   drenching   for   fear  of  choking  him.      Feed  on 

soft  food,  with  plenty  of  boiled  flax  seed   in   it,  and  give  plenty  of 

•cold  water  to  drink. 

CHOREA. 

This  is  an  affection  of  the    nervous    system,  where   the   horse 

loses  the  power  to  back  up. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  179 

Causes. — it  is  due  to  some  injury  to  the  spinal  cord,  and 
sometimes  comes  on  a  colt  after  castration,  but  we  think  he  must 
have  be^n  injured  while  throwing  him. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  be  useful,  and  as  long  as  he  is 
going  ahead  he  will  be  all  right.  He  can  pull  or  do  anything  in 
the  shape  of  work  until  you  go  to  back  him  up;  as  soon  as  you 
try  to,  you  will  find  that  he  cannot  back;  the  muscles  of  the  hind 
<iuarters  will  begin  to  shiver,  his  tail  will  rise  up,  and,  no  matter 
how  much  you  force  him,  he  cannot  back  up.  This  disease  is 
more  common  in  nervous  animals. 

Treatment.— If  you  notice  it  when  it  is  coming  on,  give: 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica i  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in 

soft   food.       Rub    him    over   the   back   and    hips    with    the    white 

liniment  twice   a   day.      If  he   is   in   good   condition,    give  him   a 

physic  drench  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  uL 

Common  Soda 1  " 

STRINGHALT. 

This  receives  its  name  from  the  way  the  animal  acts. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  from  some  affection  of  the  nerves 
Tvhich  go  to  supply  the  part  affected,  but  really  what  parts  of 
the  nerves  affected  has  never  been  lound  out.  This  disease  is 
more  often  seen  in  highly  nervous  animals,  and  is  caused  from 
applying  severe  blisters  to  the  legs,  which  irritates  the  nerves,  or 
clipping  the  legs  and  having  him  out  in  the  cold.  It  is  noticed  to 
follow  after  castration,  either  from  the  burning  of  the  rope  on  the 
fetlock  or  the  irritation  of  the  cutting. 

Treatment. — If   this    disease    is    once    well    established    it    is 

incurable,  but  if  noticed  at  the  time   it  is  starting  give  the  animal 

a  physic  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  lU  drams. 

Common    Soda 1  tablespoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix   in  a  pint   of   luke   warm   water   and   give   as  a   drench. 

Leave  the  animal  in  the  stable   the   next  day,  and  follow  up  with 

the    following   powder,    which    acts    on    the   nerves:    BromiJe    of 

Potassium,  two  drams    or   a   teaspoonful,  twice  a  day  in  his  food, 

■or  on  his  'lOnijue  with  a  snoon. 


180  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

HYDROPHOBIA  (RABIES)  IN  HORSES. 

This  disease  never  occurs  in  a  horse  unless  he  has  been 
bi^en  by  a  mad  dog  or  cat. 

Symptoms. — He  shows  restlessness,  will  bite  and  rub  where 
he  was  bitten.  These  symptoms  are  followed  by  brain  distur- 
bance, and  the  animal  will  act  somewhat  as  if  he  was  suffering 
from  inflammation  of  the  brain;  but  in  this  disease  the  animal  is 
wicked,  and  will  bite  at  you  in  a  peculiar  way,  just  like  a  vicious 
dog.  The  animal  becomes  more  excited,  turns  round  and  round 
in  his  stall  until  he  gets  weak  and  falls  down,  and  gradually  keeps 
getting  worse  until  he  is  relieved  by  death. 

Treatment. —  If  the  horse  is  showing  the  above  symptoms, 
and  he  has  been  bitten  by  a  dog,  have  him  destroyed  at  once ; 
but  if  you  were  called  to  see  a  horse  after  he  was  bitten  by  a  mad 
dog,  and  before  he  shows  the  above  symptoms,  take  a  sharp 
knife  and  cut  away  the  flesh  arcund  the  bite,  then  burn  it  with  a 
stick  of  caustic,  potash  or  nitrate  of  silver.  If  you  have  not  these,, 
burn  it  well  with  a  red  hot  iron  or  anything  to  destroy  the  poison. 

LOCKJAW  (TETANUS). 

This  is  purely  a  disease  of  the  nerves  and  receives  its  name 
by  the  way  it  acts  on  the  muscles  of  the  jaw.  Sometimes  they 
become  so  set  that  you  could  not  pry  the  animal's  mouth  open. 
There  are  two  forms  of  this  disease,  one  is  known  as  the  trau- 
matic form,  this  is  where  the  disease  follows  an  injury  or  opera- 
tion, which  can  be  seen  ;  the  diopathic  form  of  the  disease  comes 
on  the  animal  without  any  visible  injury  or  operation.  In  this 
case  it  is  thought  to  be  broug.ht  on  from  worms  or  bots  in  the 
stomach  or  from  being  exposed  to  extreme  cold. 

Causes. — The  general  causes  of  this  disease  are  when  a  nail 
runs  in  the  horse's  foot,  it  may  follow  a  stake  or  cut  just  about 
the  time  the  wound  is  healed  up,  and  comes  on  from  eight  to 
twenty-one  days  after  being  injured.  It  may  also  come  after 
wounds  which  seem  to  be  healing  extra  fast.  It  follows  opera- 
tions, such  as  docking,  nicking  a  horse's  tail  or  castration  ;  it 
sometimes  occurs  after  very  severe  blistering.  In  referring  to  the 
disease  following  castration,  it  is  more  apt  to  come  on  when  a 
horse  is  allowed  to  run  through  a  river  or  spring  creek,  or  being 
left  out  in  cold  winds.  As  an  example,  twenty-four  horses  were 
castrated  and  bathed   in  cold  water  a  few  days  after,  and  sixteen 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HOESE.  181 

out  of  the  twenty-four  died  of  lockjaw.  This  shows  you  the 
necessity  of  having"  the  operation  done  in  fine  weather  and  the  colt 
kept  away  from  damp  places.  The  disease  is  noticed  to  come  on 
just  about  the  time  the  colt  is  healed  up,  the  same  as  in  other 
wounds. 

Symptoms. — There  is  not  much  difficult)^  in  telling  a  case  of 
this  kind.  At  first  there  is  a  peculiar  stiffness  of  the  body,  and 
he  walks  with  his  neck  hig^h  and  his  head  stuck  out  as  if  he  was 
suffering-  from  sore  throat,  he  has  a  peculiarly  hig-h  action,  and  if 
he  is  on  pasture  he  cannot  g^et  his  head  down  to  eat,  except  in  a 
very  mild  case  of  the  disease.  The  horse,  in  most  cases,  will  try 
to  eat  if  he  can,  especially  at  the  commencement  of  the  disease. 
If  you  walk  up  to  him  and  suddenly  excite  him  he  will  almost 
i:;;roan,  as  if  in  pain,  his  head  will  fly  up  and  the  haw  of  the  eye 
will  fly  over  the  eye  so  that  you  can  hardly  see  it.  When  he  is 
excited  his  tail  will  raise  up  and  the  muscles  all  over  his  body 
seem  hard,  drawn  and  set,  and  the  animal  will  almost  fall  down. 
In  a  case  of  this  kind  examine  the  mouth  and  you  will  find  that  it 
•can  only  be  opened  a  little.  If  it  is  a  severe  case  these  symptoms 
will  gradually  grow  worse,  and  in  a  few  days  he  will  get  off"  his 
feet  and  will  be  unable  to  raise  them  ;  he  will  have  fits  of  severe 
struggling  and  be  in  terrible  agony,  and  the  only  thing  that  gives 
him  relief  is  death,  which  soon  comes. 

Treatment. — in   a   very  light    case    of   the    disease,  If   In  the 

spring  and  the  animal  is  able  to  get  down  and  eat  grass,  it  is  best 

to  leave  him  out  in  a  level  pasture  fieldwhere  there  is  nothing  to 

-disturb  him.      In  a  case  of  this   kind   do   not  go   near  him  to  give 

him  medicine,  but  watch   him   to  see   that    nothing   turns  up  that 

you  are  not  expecting,  because  catching  a  wild  colt  in  the  pasture 

to  give  him-medicine  would  only  excite  him  so  much  that  it  would 

do  more  harm  than  good.      There  has  been  all  kinds  of  treatment 

tried  for  this  disease,  but  the  best  is  to  give  the  animal,  as  soon 

as  noticed,  a  dose  of  physic  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonf uls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a* drench,  being 

careful  not  to  excite  the  animal    much  while   giving  it  to  him.      In 

-case  it  is  caused  from  a   nail   in    the  foot,    pare   the   hole   out  well 

where    the    nail    went   in    and  poultice  with   hot  linseed  poultices, 


182  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

chang-ing-  them  often  to  keep  them  hot.  Keep  the  foot  poulticed 
vmtil  the  animal  seems  relieved.  If  it  is  from  a  wound  bathe  well 
with  luke  warm  water  three  or  four  times  a  day,  and  paint  the  foot 
over  with  fluid  extract  of  belladonna  after  each  bathing-.  Keep 
the  animal  in  a  comfortable  stable,  free  from  noise  or  anything 
that  will  excite  him,  as  perfect  quietness  is  what  is  wanted  in 
treating  this  disease.  Give  one  dram,  or  one  teaspoonful,  of  fluid 
extract  of  belladonna  on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon  three  times 
a  day,  and  feed  on  soft,  easy  chewed  food,  such  as  gruels  of  chop 
stuff  with  boiled  flaxseed  in  it — make  the  gruel  so  he  can  drink 
it  down — if  in  the  spring  give  him  grass,  if  in  other  times  of  the 
year  scald  his  hay  and  make  it  as  soft  and  easy  to  eat  as  you  can. 
It  generally  takes  from  three  weeks  to  thirty  days  for  the  disease 
to  run  its  course.  It  is  best  not  to  rely  too  much  on  medicine, 
for  it  takes  time  for  it  to  run  its  course.  Good  nursing  is  better 
than  medicine  in  this  disease.  As  a  general  thing,  before  the  end 
of  the  third  week,  he  begins  to  get  better. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  LYMPHATIC  SYSTEM. 

WEED  IN  THE  LEG  (LYMPHANGITIS). 

This  disease  also  gets  various  other  names,  such  as  water 
farcy,  big  leg  and  Monday  morning  fever.  This  is  a  very 
common  disease  now  in  this  country,  and  is  liable  to  be  more  so, 
on  account  of  horses  being  better  fed  and  cared  for  than  they  used 
to  be.  The  disease  generally  aflfects  the  hind  legs,  but  sometimes 
affects  the  front  legs. 

Causes. — It  is  common  in  hard-worked  and  highly-fed  horses, 
by  letting  them  stand  in  the  stable  for  a  few  days  without  exercise 
after  being  accustomed  to  working  every  day  and  feeding  them 
the  same  as  if  they  were  working;  this  is  why  it  is  seen  so  often 
on  Monday  morning.  The  direct  cause  of  the  disease  is  from 
horses  getting  too  much  nutriment  in  the  blood,  which  over 
stimulates  and  sets  up  inflammation  in  the  lymphatic  glands  in 
the  leo-s;  then  when  these  glands  are  inflamed  they  do  not  absorb- 
the  lymph  and' carry  it  off  as  they  should  when  all  right,  thus  the 
leo-  becomes  very  largely  swollen  with  lymph.  It  is  also  caused 
by  a  horse  getting  a  prick  of  a  nail  in  the  foot,  and  the  soreness- 
extends  up  the  legs  and  affects  the  glands   and    sets  up  inflamma- 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  183 

tion  in  them.  It  is  also  caused  trom  a  horse  having"  bad  blood 
with  too  much  fibrine  in  it.  Heavy  horses  with  slugg"ish  circula- 
tion are  more  liable  to  it  than  lighter  horses. 

Symptoms. — The  first  signs  are  the  animal  will  quit  feeding, 
tremble  and  be  feverish,  which  is  followed  by  lameness  and  swell- 
ing along  the  inside  of  the  !^'^ — usualh-  the  hind  leg — just  inside 
the  thigh.  The  swelling,  at  first,  will  be  along  the  line  of  the 
lymphatic  vessels  in  the  shape  of  a  hard  cord  ;  if  you  press  your 
hand  on  this  cord  the  animal  will  immediately  throw  his  leg  out 
and  up  and  seem  very  stiff  and  sore  ;  after  this  stage  the  leg  be- 
comes greatly  swollen  all  the  way  down  and  around  it,  in  some 
cases  as  large  as  a  stovepipe,  and  it  will  be  very  sore  to  handle, 
and  is  so  painful  that  the  horse  will  lift  it  from  the  floor  and  look 
around  at  it.  The  symtoms  of  a  case  in  the  front  leg  are  similar, 
only  the  swelling  starts  at  the  chest  and  extends  down  the  inside 
of  the  front  leg.  The  pulse  will  be  quickened,  and  the  animal 
breathes  heavier  than  natural.  After  an  animal  has  once  been 
affected  by  this  disease  he  is  more  liable  to  have  it  again,  and 
after  he  has  been  afflicted  with  it  several  times  it  terminates  in 
what  is  known  as  elephantiasis,  or  big  leg. 

Treatment. — Get  rid  of  the  nutriment  of  the  blood  as  soon  as 
possible,  by  bleeding ;  take  a  half  pail  of  blood  from  him  if  the 
animal  is  strong  and  fat,  and  give  him  a  physic  drench  : 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  tulilespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  if 
vou  bleed,  just  give  8  drams  of  aloes,  and  give  the  following 
powders  : 

NiM-ate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i  pound. 

Sul  phur i      " 

(irouiid  Gentian  Root g:       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on 
his  tongue  with  a  spoon  or  in  his  food.  Feed  on  soft  food,  with 
plenty  of  boiled  flax  seed  in  it,  to  keep  his  bowels  loose.  Bathe 
the  leg  with  luke  warm  water,  as  warm  as  you  can  bear  your 
hand  in  it,  with  some  saltpetre  and  vinegar  in  the  water,  for 
nearly  an  hour  at  a  time,  three  times  a  day,  and  after  wiping 
dry,  rub  well  with  white  liniment  weakened  down  nearly  one-half 
by  adding  more  water  to  it.  If  in  very'cold  weather,  bandage  the 
leg  to  keep  him  from  getting  cold  in  it  after  the  bathing.  Allow 
him    to   stand   quiet   for   three    or    four    days    until    you    get    the 


184  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

inflammation  checked  in  the  gland,  then  commence  to  exercise 
him  some  every  day,  and  gradually  bring-  him  back  to  his  natural 
habits  again.  The  more  he  is  bathed  with  warm  watef"  the 
sooner  he    will  get   relief. 

BIG  LEG  (ELEPHANTIASIS). 

This  is  a  thickened  state  of  the  leg  from  repealed  attacks  of 
lymphangitis  or  weed  in  the  leg.  The  swelling  becomes  organized 
and  you  cannot  effect  a  complete  cure  in  any  case. 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal  regular  exercise,  also  give  him 
a  good  physic  drench  once  in  a  while  to  keep  his  bowels  right, 
consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Common    Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  oi   luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  then 

give   him  the  following  powder  to  act  on  his  kidneys  and  blood: 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Sulphur ^       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root. |       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  in  his  food 
twice  a  day,  this  will  help  him  more  than  anything  you  can  do  for 
him.  Any  time  you  notice  the  leg  swelling-  repeat  the  above 
treatment,  and  by  keeping  his  blood  in  good  condition  he  may 
make  a  good  work  horse  for  a  long  time. 

SWELLING  OF  THE  LIMBS  (ANASARCA). 

Causes. — This  is  caused  from  the  lymphatic  glands  of  the 
legs  working  sluggish  and  not  carrying  the  lymph  off.  It 
generally  occurs  in  the  hind  legs,  and  is  commonly  called  stocking 
of  the  legs.  The  most  common  cause  we  have  is  where  a  horse 
is  accustomed  to  standing  in  the  stable  during  the  winter  months 
and  then  putting  him  to  liard  work  in  the  spring  before  he  gets 
used  to  it.  After  resting  during  the  night  his  legs  will  be  swollen 
the  next  morning.  Or,  it  may  be  caused  from  giving  a  horse  a 
long  journey  when  he  is  not  used  to  it;  the  next  morning  his  legs 
will  be  swollen.  Also  a  horse's  blood  being  in  bad  condition  will 
cause  it. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  of  the  legs  during  the  night, 
and  in  the  morning  when  he  is  taken  out  the  swollen  leg's  will  be 
quite  stiff.  This  swelling  will  go  down  after  he  is  kept  moving 
for  some  time,  but  will  return  again  the  next  night,  perhaps 
worse  than  before.  If  this  disease  is  not  attended  to,  it  is  apt  to 
terminate  in  a  case  of  scratches  or  grease. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  185 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  from  work  for  a  few  days  and 
gfive  him  a  physic  consisting-  of 

Bitter  Al>es   8  drams. 

Common  Soda ...    1  tableapoonf  ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Svreet  Spirits  of  Nitre ^  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  g"ive  as  a  drench. 
Feed  on  soft,  light  food,  and  allow  the  animal  to  stand  in  a  stable 
a  few  days  after  giving-  the  drench.  In  case  the  animal  is  very 
weak,  and  you  think  it  is  not  safe  to  give  him  the  aloes,  give  him 

Raw  Luiseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre i-  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench,,  and  use  him   the  same   as    if  you 

gave  him  the  aloes;   then   give   him   the   following  powder   to   act 

on  his  kidneys  and  blood  and  build  his  system  up  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre   ^  pound. 

Sulphur I       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  every  night  and  morn- 
ing in  his  feed.  After  he  stands  a  couple  days  put  him  at  gentle 
work,  not  too  hard,  also  hand  rub  his  legs  at  night  and  bandage 
them,  which  will  keep  the  swelling  down  and  strengthen  the  leg. 
Never  leave  the  bandage  on  longer  than  three  hours,  for  if  you 
do  it  will  do  more  harm  than  eood. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  HEART,  ARTERIES  AND 

BLOOD. 


I. HEART    DISEASES. 

These  diseases  are  very  uncommon  in  the  horse,  but 
sometimes  we  have  what  is  known  as  rupture  of  the  valves  and 
palpitation  of  the  heart. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  VALVES  OF  THE  HEART. 

Causes. — It  is  hard  to  tell  just  what  the  cause  is,  but  tlie 
valves  are  diseased  in   some  form  before  the  rupture  takes  place. 

Symptoms. — When  rupture  takes  place  the  horse  dies  almost 
instantly,  for  it  stops  the  circulation  in  the  system.  In  sonie 
cases  the  horse  may  be  subjected  to  weak  spells  before  rupture 
takes  place,  while  other  times  this  symptom  will  not  be  noticed. 

Treatment. —There  is  none ;  and  the  only  way  to  tell  if  this 
caused  death   is  to  examine  the  heart,  which  will  be  clotted  with 


186  THE  VETEEINARY  SCIENCE. 

blood,  caused  from  the  rupture  of  one  of  the  valves  in   the  heart, 
and  also  you  will  see  the  ruptured  valve. 

PALPITATION  OF  THE  HEART. 

This  is  weakness  of  the  heart. 

Causes. — It  generally  comes  after  weakening-  diseases,  such 
as  the  fevers  of  the  horse,  lung  troubles,  or  dropsy  of  the  heart. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  be  very  weak,  and  you  can  hear 
the  heart  thumping  in  its  cavity;  the  symptoms  will  be  greatly 
increased  when  the  animal  is  excited.  His  pulse  will  be  very 
quick  and  weak,  and  in  this  state  the  animal  will  be  unable  to  do 
any  work. 

Treatment. —  Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  strengthen  the  system 
as  much  as  you  can  by  good  food,  and  give  him  the  following 
tonic  medicine  which  acts  as  a  tonic  to  the  heart  and  system  in 
general  : 

Pulverized  Digitalis ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root i       " 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica ^       " 

Ground  Sulphate  of  Iron    |       '  • 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in 
his  feed  or  on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon. 


II. DISEASES    OF    THE    ARTERIES. 

TUMOR  (ANEURISM). 

This  is  a  diseased  state  of  the  walls  of  an  artery. 

Causes. — The  causes  are  unknown. 

Symptoms. — This  disease  often  goes  on  in  the  artery  unknown 
until  the  diseased  part  of  the  artery  will  give  way  ;  if  it  is  intern- 
ally, and  a  large  artery,  he  will  bleed  to  death  very  quickly  ;  if  it 
is  a  small  artery  in  the  muscles  he  will  not  bleed  to  death,  but  you 
will  notice  a  large  swelling  appear  suddenly  around  the  diseased 
part  of  the  artery,  and  the  artery  will  bleed  until  it  is  stopped  by 
clotting  and  pressure  from  the  muscles  and  skin.  The  animal  will 
be  a  little  weak,  but  the  swelling  will  not  be  sore,  and  pressing  on 
it  you  can  tell  there  is  a  fluid  in  it. 

Treatment. — Allow  the  fluid  to  remain  in  the  swelling  two  or 
three  days^  until  you  are  sure  the  artery  has  stopped  bleeding, 
.hen,  with  a  sTiarp  knife,  open  into  the  lower  part  of  the  swelling  ; 
make  a  big  cut  into  it,  and  remove  all  the  clotted  blood,  then  take 
a  large  syringe  and  wash  out  all  the  blood  with  luke  warm 
water  with  a  few  drops   of  carbolic   acid    in   it.     After  this,  bathe 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  1S7 

the  parts  well  with  luke  warm  water  twice  a  day,  and  inject  in  the 

hole  each  time,   after  bathings,    with   the  white  lotion.      Keep  the 

animal  quiet  and  it  will  heal  up  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks 

all  right. 

RUPTURE  OF  AN  ARTERY. 

Causes. — It  is  sometimes  caused  from  straining  while  the  mare 
is  foaling-;  drawing-  heavy;  severe  exertion  of  any  kind;  or  a  severe 
bruise. 

Symptoms. — Same  as  a  tumor  or  aneurism  of  an  artery,  only 
you  will  not  find  the  artery  diseased. 

Treatment— This  disease  is  treated  the  same  as  tumor  or 
aneurism  of  an  artery. 


III.— DISEASES    OF    THE    VEINS. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  A  VEIN  (PHLEBITIS). 

This  disease  is  mostly  noticed  in  connection  with  the  jug^ular 
veins. 

Causes. — Usually  from  bleeding  a  horse  with  a  rusty  fleam ; 
using  a  rusty  pin  or  your  hands  having  dirt  on  them  while  putting 
in  the  pin  (so  you  see  the  necessity  of  having  everything  clean 
when  bleeding);  som.etimes  from  a  horse  rubbing  his  neck  against 
something  after  bleeding;  from  turning  the  horse  out  to  grass 
right  after  bleeding  and  allowing  him  to  have  his  head  down, 
this  interferes  with  the  circulation  of  the  blood,  causes  swelling 
and  clotting  of  the  blood,  which  sets  up  inflammation. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  along  that  side  of  the  neck  3'ou 
bled  him  from,  and  if  he  is  allowed  to  have  his  head  down  that  side 
of  his  head  will  also  be  swollen.  The  swelling  will  be  hard  and 
painful  when  you  touch  it,  and,  in  a  few  days,  the  clotted  blood 
formed  in  the  swelling  will  start  to  fester  and  break  out  in  little 
boils  or  abscesses  along  the  side  of  the  neck. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal's  head  well  tied  up  and  bathe 
the  sides  of  the  neck  with  warm  water  and  vinegar  four  times 
a  day  for  half  an  hour  at  a  time,  and  each  time,  after  bathing 
apply  white  liniment.  If  the  neck  beals  or  festers,  open  the 
places  up  with  a  knife  and  allow  the  matter  to  escape.  When 
you  do  this,  change  the  treatment  to  white  lotion  instead  of  lini- 
ment. Do  this  until  you  get  all  the  swelling  and  inflammation 
out  and  the  healing  places  all  healed  up,  then  blister,  using  the 
followiniT  : 


188  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Vaseline,  or  lard 1    ounce. 

Pulverized  Catharides,  or  Spanish  Fly H  drams. 

Mix  well  tog^ether  and  rub  the  blister  along  the  swollen  part 
of  the  neck.  Tie  the  horse's  head  short  so  he  can  not  rub  it. 
Rub  the  blister  in  well  and  grease  the  place  where  you  blistered 
in  three  days  after  ;  allow  it  to  remain  two  or  three  weeks, 
or  until  it  heals  up,  and  if  the  swelling"  is  not  down,  blister  ag'ain 
and  follow  out  the  same  directions  in  this  as  in  the  first  blister. 
In  after  treatment  do  not  turn  the  animal  out  to  pasture  for  a 
year  or  so,  for  his  head  will  swell  up  on  account  of  his  not  having- 
the  use  of  this  vein  ;  keep  him  in  the  stable  and  feed  him  out  of  a 
high  manger,  and  by  doing'  this  he  will  be  just  as  useful  as  ever, 
for  after  a  while  the  other  jugular  vein  will  enlarge  so  it  will  do 
the  work  of  both  the  veins.  In  buying  a  horse  look  at  both  sides 
of  his  neck  to  see  that  the  veins  are  all  right. 


IV. DISEASES    OF    THE    BLOOD. 

BAD  BLOOD. 

This  is  when  the  blood  gets  very  impure  and  the  horse  does 
not  thrive  well. 

Causes. — From  working  very  hard  and  feeding  very  high,  or 
from  turning'  the  animal  out  to  a  straw  stack  and  allowing  the 
system  to  run  down. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  get  weak,  and  will  not  thrive 
well,  and  gets  hide  bound.  The  hair  will  be  rough,  dry  and 
scruffy;  and,  if  the  blood  is  hot,  there  will  be  pimples  form  over 
the  body;  and  when  he  stands  in  the  stable  over  night  his  legs 
will  swell;  and  if  he  is  out  in  wet  weather  scratches  will  come  on; 
and  the  animal  is  dull  and  unfit  for  work,  and  no  matter  how 
much  you  feed  him  he  will  not  thrive. 

Treatment. — Get  his  blood  in  good  shape   by  giving  a  physic 

drench  to  start  on,  consisting  of: 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Common    Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke   warm    water    and    give    as    a    drench. 

Allow  the  animal  to  stand  in  the  stable  a  couple  of  days,    and  feed 

on  soft  food  with  plenty  of  flaxseed  in  it  to  keep  the  bowels  loose, 

then  give  the  following  powder: 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur i 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  189 

Mix   and    g"ive  a  larg-e  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  in  his  feed, 

after  you  have  given  him  this,  follow  up   with  the  following'  tonic 

powder  to  make  him  strong: 

Ground   Gentian  Root ;J  pound. 

Sulphate  of  Iron J       " 

Mix  well  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  in  his 
feed ;  if  in  the  spring  of  the  year  and  you  can  turn  the  horse  on 
grass,  bleed  him,  taking  half  a  pail  of  blood,  then  turn  him  out, 
and  this  will  cure  him  as  quick  as  anything.  When  you  are 
treating  a  horse  for  bad  blood,  if  you  have  him  in  the  stable, 
give  him  a  little  exercise  every  day. 

AZOTURIA. 

This  disease,  at  one  time,  was  not  very  common,  but  is 
getting  more  so  all  the  time. 

Causes. — From  allowing  a  horse  to  stand  in  the  stable  and 
feeding  him  well  for  a  few  days  without  any  exercise,  the  blood 
gets  too  full  of  albumen,  and  then,  by  taking  him  out  and  driving 
him,  brings  on  the  disease.  When  you  drive  the  horse  the  blood 
gets  heated  and  he  takes  in  a  great  deal  of  oxygen  from  the  air 
into  the  blood,  which  unites  with  the  albumen  in  the  blood  and 
changes  it  into  acids,  which  are  known  as  hippuric  and  urea 
acids ;  these  acids  stop  the  action  of  the  kidneys  and  then  act  on 
the  muscular  system,  and  cause  the  muscles  of  the  back  and  hips 
to  become  swollen  and  paralyzed.  This  is  the  only  disease  that  is 
noticed  to  come  on  a  horse  very  soon  after  starting  on  a  drive. 
It  is  more  common  in  tiie  winter  months,  on  account  of  the 
animal  standing  in  the  stable  more,  but  is  liable  to  come  on  at  any 
time  of  the  year. 

Symptoms. —On  taking  a  horse  out  of  the  stable,  he  will  go 
off  full  oi'  life  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile  to  a  mile,  or  even  a  longer 
distance  in  some  cases,  then  you  will  notice  him  break  out  into  a 
sweat;  he  becomes  stiff  in  the  hind  quarters  and  not  able  to  trot. 
If  vou  examine  him  he  will  be  breathing  heavy,  his  pulse  quick 
and  weak,  and  will  be  trembling  about  the  flanks.  Look  over  the 
back  and  liips  and  you  will  notice  th&  muscles  swollen  and  as  hard 
as  a  board.  If  you  attempt  to  drive  him  still  further,  he  will  get 
so  stiff  he  will  not  be  able  to  go,  and  will  fall  down  and  not  be 
able  to  rise,  and  all  the  symptoms  mentioned  above  will  be 
increased  greatly.  His  urine  will  be  of  a  dark  red  color  and  very 
little  at  a    time,  for    the    kidneys    are   not    acting  much.      If  you 


190  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

catch  some  in  a  dish,  and  allow  it  to  stand,  the  acids  will  come  to 
the  top.      In  severe  cases  the  leg's  and  ears  are  very  cold. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  the  symptoms  are  noticed,  stop 
driving  him  and  take  him  to  the  nearest  place,  for  if  you  keep  on 
driving  him  he  will  only  fall  down  and  be  a  great  deal  more 
bother  to  you.  When  you  get  him  into  the  stable,  cover  him  well 
with  blankets  and  let  him  have  a  good  sweating;  this  will  relieve 
the  kidneys,  give  him  a  good  rubbing  all  over  the  back  and  hips 
with  white  liniment;  if  you  have  not  got  the  liniment  along  with 
you  apply  a  coat  of  mustard  and  vinegar  over  the  back,  or  even  a 
half  pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  would  be  good,  for  you  must  get  heat 
to  the  kidneys  to  start  them  to  act.      Give  the  following  : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

Common  Soda. 1  teaspoonf iil. 

Ginger 1  " 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  this 
is  to  get  the  bowels  and  kidneys  acting.  As  a  general  thing,  if 
this  treatment  is  given  as  soon  as  noticed,  he  will  be  able  to  work 
in  three  or  four  hours.  If  it  is  a  severe  case,  and  the  horse  does 
not  get  relief  in  three  or  four  hours,  follow  up  with  the  following 
drench : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonf uls. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  every  three  hours 

until  the  animal    gets    relief ;  also,    keep   the   heat   applied    to  the 

back.      If  the  animal  is  so  bad  he  gets  down,  turn  him  over  from 

side  to  side,  twice  a  day,  and  as  soon  as  he  able  to  get  up,  help 

him  to  his  feet.      It  is  well    to   use   slings   for   a   short    time  every 

day  after  he   begins   to  get   strong.      We  saw  one    case    where   a 

horse  had  lain  nine  days  and  afterwards  got  up  and  was  all  right 

again  by  means  of  the  above  treatment  without  the  slings.      Feed 

on  soft  food  and  give  all  the  luke  warm  water  he  can  drink  ;   tend 

to  his   general   comfort,    such    as   a   comfortable   stall    with    good 

bedding.      Watch  if  he  makes   water,  and   if  he  does  not,  take  it 

away  with  a  catheter.      When  the  animal  is  getting  better  give  the 

following  powders  to  get  his  kidneys  working: 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      " 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  in  his  feed.      After  an 

animal  has  suffered  from  this  disease  once  he  is  more  apt  to  be 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  KORSE.  191 

troubled  ag-ain.  Watch  that  his  kidneys  are  in  good  shape,  and 
have  the  animal  exercised  every  day.  If  you  have  fear  of  a  horse 
becoming-  attacked  with  this  disease  when  you  are  going  to  drive 
him  let  him  walk  easy  for  the  first  mile  or  so,  and  then  he  will  be 
all  right. 

CHAPTER  XX. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  BONES. 

BIG  HEAD  (OSTEO-POROSIS). 

This  disease  is  more  common  in  some  localities  than  others; 
it  is  not  met  with  much  in  Canada  or  Great  Britain,  but  is  fre- 
quently seen  in  the  United  States  and  Mexico.  It  is  a  disease 
which  attacks  horses  from  one  to  four  years  old,  and  rarely 
attacks  old  horses,  and  it  gradually  comes  on  as  the  animal 
grows,  without  any  signs  of  soreness,  only  the  bones  of  the  head 
and  legs  get  larger  and  lighter  and  become  very  brittle,  that  is, 
easy  to  break.  Thus  it  gets  the  name  "big."  It  more  often  affects 
the  bones  of  the  head  than  those  of  any  other  part  of  the  body. 

Causes. — it  is  difficult  to  say  what  is  the  real  cause  of  this 
disease,  but  it  is  supposed  to  be  caused  from  an  animal  feeding  on 
pasture  land  deficient  in  the  salts  of  lime.  Some  think  it  is 
wholly  caused  from  animals  grazing  on  low-lying,  swampy  land, 
where  the  grass  grows  long  and  does  not  contain  the  full  amount 
of  nourishing  substances. 

Symptoms. — At  first  the  symptoms  are  not  very  well  marked, 
but  the  animal  is  noticed  to  be  dull,  fall  off  in  condition,  and  his 
muscles  get  very  soft.  The  animal  may  run  along  this  way  for 
four  to  six  months,  then  the  true  nature  of  the  disease  will  show 
itself.  The  animal  will  seem  stiff  in  traveling,  his  belly  becomes 
very  gaunt,  and  the  bones  of  the  head  will  be  noticed  to  be  getting 
larger  than  natural;  then,  after  this,  the  bones  of  the  legs  may 
also  become  enlarged,  and  as  the  disease  goes  on  the  bones  will 
continue  getting  larger,  and  the  animal  keeps  gradually  going 
down  in  condition  until  he  dies.  In  some  cases  the  bones  become 
so  brittle  that  while  he  his  walking  along  one  of  his  legs  would 
break  and  he  would  have  to  be  destroyed. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  not  very  successful,  and  if  the 
disease  has  been  running  on  for  any  length  of  time  it  is  best  to 
destroy   the   animal.      If   in    the    early   stages,  and   he   is   on   low 


192  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE, 

pasture,  move  him  to  a  good,  high  pasture  field,  and  give  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  sulphate  of  iron  in  some  oats  twice  a  day  to  build  the 
system  up  and  overcome  the  disease. 

SPLINTS. 

This  is  a  bony  enlargement  on  the  inside  ot  the  leg,  between 
the  knee  and  fetlock,  and  is  sometimes  noticed  to  affect  the  out- 
side of  the  leg,  and  it  is  noticed  to  affect  the  bones  of  the  hind 
legs,  below  the  hock  joint,  either  on  the  inside  or  outside.  Any 
enlargement  of  the  bone  along  the  places  mentioned  comes  under 
the  name  of  splint. 

Causes. — Certain  breeds  of  animals  are  more  liable  to  splints 
than  others.  For  instance,  horses  with  small,  weak  bones  below 
the  knees,  or  colts  that  are  very  fat,  and  heavy  on  their  legs,  are 
-the  most  liable  to  splints.  Driving  or  riding  colts  on  hard  roads, 
or  working  them  on  hard  roads.  Horses  that  are  driven  on  the 
pavements  of  large  cities  are  very  apt  to  have  splints,  from  shoe- 
ing too  heavy;  or  from  the  animal  striking  his  foot  against  the 
other  leg  in  traveling.  In  all  of  these  cases,  whether  it  is  due  to 
hard  roads,  or  from  striking  the  leg  with  anything,  inflammation 
will  set  in  between  the  bone  and  the  covering  of  the  bone,  then 
there  is  a  deposit  of  bony  matter,  this  is  what  causes  the  enlarge- 
ment and  soreness.  When  the  splint  affects  both  sides  of  one  leg 
it  is  called  a  double  splint. 

Symptoms. — At  first  it  is  a  little  hard  to  detect,  but  when  the 
splint  gets  any  size  it  is  very  easy  to  tell  what  is  wrong,  and  when 
a  young  horse  goes  lame  on  the  hard  road  it  is  well  to  examine 
for  splints.  The  lameness  has  a  peculiarity  about  it,  when  the 
animal  is  walking  he  walks  perfectly  sound,  and  he  also  stands  on 
the  leg  as  if  nothing  was  wrong,  but  when  you  come  to  trot  him 
he  will  be  very  lame,  and  he  will  drop  and  raise  his  head  to  a 
great  extent.  Always  bear  in  mind  that  when  a  lame  horse  is 
trotting  his  head  goes  down  when  he  strikes  his  weight  on  the 
sound  leg,  he  does  this  in  trying  to  favor  the  lame  leg,  and  in  all 
cases,  no  matter  how  sure  you  are  about  the  part  the  horse  is 
lame  in,  examine  the  foot  to  see  there  is  no  nail  in  it. 

Treatment. — As  a  general  thing  it  is  successful.  Keep  the 
horse  from  work  as  much  as  possible,  and  if  in  summer  time 
bathe  the  leg  in  cold  water  with  a  little  salt  in  it  ;  do  this  a  couple 
of  times  a  day,  and  after  rubbing  dry,  apply  the  white  liniment ; 
keep  at  this  treatment   until   you   get  the    inflammation   and  sore- 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  193 

ness  out  of  the  splint,  after  this  blister  to  remove  the  enlarg'ement. 
Use  the  following  blister  : 

Vaseline  or  lard 1  ounce. 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 1  dram. 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1  dram. 

Mix  thoroughly  together  and  there  will  be  enough  to  blister 
an  ordinary  splint  three  times.  If  there  is  much  hair  on  the 
splint  clip  it  off"  and  apply  one-third  of  the  blister  ;  the  more  you 
rub  it  in  the  better  the  blister  works  ;  tie  his  head  a  little  short  for 
a  few  hours  so  he  cannot  get  down  to  bite  the  blistered  part  ;  let 
this  stand  for  three  days,  then  grease  the  blistered  part  with 
vaseline  or  lard,  then  let  it  go  for  two  or  three  weeks  after  the 
first  blister  and  blister  again,  and  follow  out  the  same  directions 
as  in  the  first  blister,  and,  if  it  is  not  all  gone,  blister  the  third 
time  in  two  or  three  weeks  more. 

SORE  SHINS. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  covering  of  the  shin  or 
metacarpal  bones  and  nearly  always  affects  the  front  legs,  but  some- 
times affects  the  shin  or  metatarsus  bones  in  the  hind  legs.  This  is 
more  common  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  and  is  generally  seeni 
in  young  race  or  trotting  horses  that  are  put  to  severe  exertion. 

Causes. — it  is  from  hard  and  continual  driving  in  training 
young  horses  for  races  ;  from  a  continual  steady  strain  on  the 
legs,  it  sets  up  an  inflammation  in  the  covering  of  the  shin  bones ; 
or  from  taking  a  colt  out  of  the  pasture  field  and  putting  him  to 
too  hard  work  when  he  is  not  used  to  it;  or  from  running  and 
striking  the  front  of  the  shins  against  anything. 

Symptoms. — They  are  very  plain.  The  colt  is  very  lame  at 
first,  and  in  examining  him,  if  you  run  your  hand  down  over  the 
shins,  you  will  find  them  very  sore  and  hot.  He  will  flinch  and 
jump  away  from  you  when  you  press  on  the  parts  affected;  and 
in  trotting  he  drops  his  head  similar  to  splint  lameness.  If  it  is 
allowed  to  run  without  being  treated,  a  thickness  will  soon  appear 
in  front  of  the  shin  bones  where  the  soreness  was. 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal  as  much  rest  as  you  can.  If  in 
the  summer,  bathe  with  cold  water  and  salt.  If  in  the  winter, 
bathe  with  warm  water  and  salt.  After  bathing  twice  a  day,  rob 
dry  and  apply  white  liniment.  After  you  get  the  soreness  and 
inflammation  out  by  bathing  and  using  the  liniment,  blister  him  tc 
take  down  the  enlargement.  Use  the  same  blister  and  same 
directions  as  is  given  in  treatment  of  splints. 

—13— 


194  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

SIDE  BONE. 

This  is  ossification,  or  turning-  into  bone,  ot  the  lateral 
cartilag-es  of  the  foot ;  these  are  two  cartilages,  one  situated  on 
each  side  of  the  foot,  and  by  pressing-  on  them  at  each  side  of  the 
foot,  just  above  the  hoof,  you  can  move  them  in  and  out,  that  is 
when  they  are  in  their  healthy  state,  but  when  they  become 
diseased  or  chang-ed  into  bone,  they  become  enlarged  and  you 
cannot  move  them  at  all.  This  disease  is  more  often  met  with  in 
heavy  breeds  of  horses,  but  it  is  sometimes  met  with  in  light 
horses,  when  it  is  harder  to  treat  and  more  of  a  detriment  to  them 
on  account  of  being  used  for  fast  work. 

Causes. — From  hard  work,  as  a  general  thing. 

Symptoms. — In  heavy  horses,  they  are  not  lame  in  some 
cases,  just  the  enlargement  at  each  side  of  the  foot,  just  above 
the  hoof,  but  in  severe  cases  there  may  be  lameness.  In  light 
horses,  used  for  drawing,  the  first  symptom  noticed  is  lameness, 
afterwards  followed  with  the  enlargement  at  the  sides  of  the  foot, 
just  above  the  hoof. 

Treatment. — Rest  the  animal  as  much  as  you  can,  and,  if  in 

the  summer,  bathe  the  foot  well  with  cold  water  and  salt  twice  a 

a  day;  after  bathing  each  time,    wipe  dry  and   apply  the  white 

liniment.      If  it  is  in  the  winter,  bathe  with  warm  water  and  salt, 

and    also    poultice    with   half    linseed   meal   and    bran;    put    the 

poultice  on  as  warm  as  you  can  without  burning  the  animal,  and 

each  time  after  bathing   and   poulticing,  rub  with  white  liniment, 

the  same  as  mentioned  above.     After  you  get  the   soreness   and 

lameness  out  by  the  above  treatment,  blister  with   the   following 

receipt : 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix   well   together  and  there  is  enough    in    this    receipt    to 

blister  a  small  side  bone  four  times.      Apply  quarter  of  the  blister 

and  rub  in  thoroughly,  leave   it  for  three   days  and   then   grease 

with  lard,  and  allow  it  to  go  for  two  or  three  weeks,  then  wash 

the  parts  clean  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap,  and  blister  again, 

just   the   same   as   the  first  time;    repeat   the    blisters    until    the 

lameness  is  entirely  gone  and   the   side  bone  stops  growing.      In 

buying    a    horse    always    examine     him     closely    for    side    bones, 

especially  if  it  is  a  heavy  horse.      In   cases    where   you  want   to 

work  the  animal  shoe  him  with  a  bar  shoe. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  195 

RINGBONE. 

There  are  two  kinds  of  ringbones — the  high-up  ringbone  and 
the  low-down  ringbone.  The  high-up  ringbone  affects  the  pastern 
joint,  the  low-down  ringbone  affects  the  coffin  joint.  A  ringbone 
is  a  bony  growth  around  the  pastern  or  coffin  joints.  They  may 
affect  the  front  legs,  but  are  more  often  found  on  the  hind  ones, 
and  there  are  cases  where  the  whole  four  legs  were  affected  at  the 
same  time. 

Causes. — Like  most  other  bone  diseases,  it  runs  in  some 
breeds  of  horses  to  be  affected  with  ringbones,  that  is  to  say  it  is 
hereditary,  so  you  see  the  necessity  of  breeding  sound  animals. 
But  there  are  other  well-marked  causes,  such  as  hard  or  fast 
work ;  or  an  injury  or  severe  sprain  of  the  joint  will  bring  it  on. 
A  common  cause  in  colts  is  allowing  their  feet  to  grow  too  long; 
or,  in  foals,  by  allowing  them  to  follow  their  mother  when  she  is 
working,  which  is  very  hard  on  foals ;  sometimes  by  a  horse 
running  a  nail  in  his  foot,  and  if  it  runs  up  far  enough  to  wound 
the  coffin  joint,  it  will  cause  the  joint  to  become  diseased  and 
throw  out  a  ringbone;  or  it  may  come  on  by  a  horse  standing  on 
ane  leg  while  he  is  very  lame  in  the  other. 

Symptoms. — They  are  very  plain.  There  is  lameness,  fol- 
lowed by  an  enlargement  around  whichever  of  the  joints  are 
affected.  Now,  if  it  is  the  pastern  joint,  the  enlargement  will 
be  about  half  way  between  the  fetlock  joint  and  the  hoof;  this  is 
the  form  known  as  high-up  ringbone.  If  it  affects  the  coffin  joint, 
the  enlargement  will  be  noticed  bulging  out  around  the  top  of  the 
hoof,  and  this  form  of  the  disease  is  known  as  a  low-down 
ringbone.  The  parts  around  the  ringbone  will  be  hot,  and  the 
lameness  will  increase  as  the  disease  goes  on.  The  peculiarity  of 
ringbone  lameness  is  that  the  animal  takes  a  longer  step  on  the 
affected  leg  and  puts  his  heel  down  first;  also,  that  he  is  more 
lame  when  starting  off  than  after  he  is  driven  a  piece  and  gets 
warmed  up. 

Treatment. — The  treatment,  in  some  cases,  is  not  attended 
with  very  great  success,  although,  in  others,  it  is  very  successful, 
depending,  of  course,  on  how  much  disease  there  is  going  on  in 
the  joint  The  treatment  is  similar  to  spavin — the  >iain  object 
being  to  set  up  what  is  known  as  anchylosis  of  the  diseased  joint, 
tiiat  is,  to  have  the  bones  forming  the  joint  become  united  solid 
t«  each  other.      As   soon   as   this   takes   place,   the   lameness  and 


196  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

soreness  leaves,  and  this  is  what  is  called  a  cure.  Of  course;, 
after  it  is  cured,  the  motion  of  that  joint  is  gone,  and  the  anmiat 
does  not  have  quite  as  fnee  action  as  before  the  leg-  was  affected, 
but  will  be  very  useful  for  years  after.  In  order  to  get  a  rea! 
good  idea  about  this,  examine  some  ringbone,  after  a  horse  dies, 
that  was  cured,  and  it  will  give  you  an  idea  how  the  bones  unite.- 
In  all  cases  first  have  the  foot  pared  down  to  its  natural  shape, 
and  have  the  toe  cut  off  very  short  and  keep  it  cut  short  after- 
wards;  this  throws  the  strain  off  the  joint.  Cut  the  hair  off  the- 
enlargement,  if  it  is  long,  and  blister  with  the  following: 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  well  together.  There  will  be  enough  in  this  receipt  tO' 
blister  an  ordinary  ringbone  two  or  three  times,  according  to  the 
size  of  it.  Apply  one-third  of  the  blister  and  rub  in  thoroughly — 
the  more  you  rub  the  better  it  will  work — and  grease  the  third 
day  after  blistering,  and  keep  on  blistering  every  three  weeks 
until  it  is  cured  and  follow  out  the  same  directions  as  the  first 
blister  ;  each  time  before  you  blister  wash  off  the  parts  with  warm 
water  and  soap.  If,  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  this  does  not 
help  him,  "fire"  him.  Use  the  same  kind  of  a  firing  iron  as  that 
used  in  firing  a  spavin.  Place  a  twitch  on  his  nose  and  have  one 
of  his  front  legs  held  up,  and  when  your  irons  are  red  hot  burn 
all  around  the  ringbone  in  streaks — running  up  and  down — three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  apart  ;  don't  burn  too  severe,  just  enough  t© 
leave  white  seam  where  you  run  the  iron.  In  doing  this  take  your 
time  and  do  not  lean  heavy  on  the  iron.  After  you  fire,  leave  it  six 
days  and  blister  the  same  as  above  mentioned  anc  follow  out  the 
same  directions.  If  the  horse  will  not  stand,  throw  him  the  same 
as  you  would  if  you  were  going  to  castrate  him.  Don't  get  dis- 
couraged if  he  does  not  get  better  right  away,  for  it  generally 
takes  from  six  months  to  a  year,  and  even  longer  in  bad  cases. 
In  colts  the  treatment  is  just  the  same,  only  not  quite  so  severe, 
and  will  vary  according  to  the  size  of  the  animal. 

BONE  SPAVIN. 

A  spavin  is  a  disease  affecting  the  bones  of  the  hock  joint,, 
and  generally  throws  out  a  bony  enlargement  on  the  inside  of  the 
hock  joint.  When  the  spavin  is  inside  of  joint  and  does  not  show 
itself  outside  in  the  form  of  an  enlargement  it  is  then  called  an 
occult  spavin.  They  are  divided  into  high-up  spavins  and  low- 
own,  or  what  is  co  im  only  called  jack  spavins. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  197 

Causes. — The  same  as   in   ringbone,  certain    breeds  of  horses 
are  nearly  all  spavined,  for   it  come>  on  in  a  hereditary  form,  that 
is  where  the  dam  or  sire  is  affected  with  spavin  and  thei«-  colts  be- 
come affected  with    spavin,    and  so  on  for  gfenerations  of  horses. 
A  great  many  horses  have  spavins  in  this  way,  therefore  you  will 
see  the  necessity  of  breeding-  good,  sound  horses,   although  when 
a  spavin  comes  on   from   some   well    marked   cause,  such   as  from 
hard  work,  or  from  a  severe  sprain  of  the  joint  or  an  injury,  such 
as  a  kick  from  another  horse,    it  is  all   right  to  breed  from  these. 
Symptoms. — Are   very  plain   and   easily   noticed  as  a  general 
rule.      Inquire  into  the  history  of  the  case  ;  how  long  the  animal 
has  been  lame   and   how   he    acts  when    travelling.      If  the  horse 
steps  shorter  than  natural    and    strikes    the    toe   first   in   putting 
down  the  foot.      If  he  is    noticed   very  lame   in  starting   off  after 
standing  for  a  while,  or  from  being  kept  in  the  stable  over  night,  and 
gets  better  after  he  goes  a  mile  or  so,  and  the  further  he  goes  the 
less  he  shows  the  lameness,  then  look  for  a  spavin  ;   if  there  is  an 
enlargement  you  can   easily  see   it,   but  if  it   is   an   occult  spavin 
there  will  be  no  enlargement,  just  heat  and  soreness  in  the  parts. 
When  the  above   symptoms   are   present   you   may  be  sure  it  is  a 
spavin.      After  a  time   the   muscles   of  the   hip   on    the   side   he  is 
lame   on  will  waste  away  from    not    being   properly  used.      You 
must  not  let  this  symptom  mislead  you  as  to  where  the  lameness 
is.      As  the  enlargement  grows  the  lameness  will  increase. 

Treatment  is  the  same  as  in  ringbone.  Try  and  get  the 
diseased  joint  to  become  united  and  form  what  is  called  anchylosis 
of  the  joint,  then  the  soreness  and  lameness  will  disappear  ;  but 
on  account  of  there  being  no  movement  in  the  joint,  the  animal 
will  not  have  as  free  use  of  the  leg  as  he  had  before  he  got  the 
spavin,  but  may  be  very  serviceable  for  a  number  of  years  after 
being  cured.  High-up  spavins  are  very  much  harder  to  cure  than 
the  low-down  or  jack  spavin,  for  they  affect  the  largest  articula- 
tion in  the  hock  joint,  but  they  are  treated  just  the  same.  It  is 
always  best  to  first  try  a  blister  on  spavins  before  firing,  for  in 
some  cases  a  blister  will  cure  them  all  right.  Blister  with  the 
following  receipt : 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix   thoroughly   together.       There    will    be    enough    in    this 

receipt  to  blister  an  ordinary  sized  spavin  twice.      Apply  half  of  it 

over   the    inside   of  the   hock    where    the   enlargement  is;    rub    in 


198 


THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 


thoroughly  and  grease  the  parts  three  days  afterwards.  If  it  is 
an  occult  spavin,  or  if  the  enlargement  goes  right  through  the 
joint,  put  all  the  blister  on  at  once,  that  is,  half  on  the  inside  and 
half  on  the  outside  of  the  joint;  then  let  it  alone  for  three  weeks 
and  wash  off  the  parts  with  warm  water  and  soap,  and  blister 
.again  just  the  same  as  the  first  time.  Repeat  the  blister  a  few 
times,  and,  if  not  somewhat  better,  fire  it  with  the  feather  iron» 
the  same  as  shown  in  the  cut.      Have  three  of  these  irons  and  get 


FEATHER    IROV. 


them  red  hot,  then  place  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose ;  also  have 
one  of  his  front  legs  held  up,  and  proceed  to  fire.  Draw  the  lines 
the  same  as  seen  in  the  cut,  and  always  have  them  a  good  half- 
inch  apart  each  way.  Run  the  iron  lightly 
over  the  lines  (same  as  shown  in  cut)  until 
there  is  a  white  line  appears,  then  that  is 
plenty  deep  enough.  The  best  place  to  heat 
your  irons  is  at  a  blacksmith  shop,  and  if 
the  horse  is  very  ugly  you  may  have  to 
throw  him  in  the  same  way  as  if  you  were 
going  to  castrate  him,  and  then  fire.  Keep  on 
firing  and  blistering  until  you  efi"ect  a  cure; 
It  may  take  from  six  months  to  a  year  or 
two  to  eff"ect  a  complete  cure.  After  firing 
do  not  blister  for  six  or  seven  days.  It  is 
all  right  to  work  the  animal  a  little  between 
times,  it  will  help  on  with  the  cure,  but 
when  you  are  working  the  horse,  shoe  him 
with  a  high  healed  shoe,  this  helps  to  throw  the  strain  off  the 
hock  joint.  After  firing  and  blistering,  always  keep  the  animal; 
out  of  the  water,  for  getting  the  leg  wet  scalds  the  hair  and  skir& 
and  makes  it  very  sore. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  199 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

WOUNDS  AND  TREATMENT. 

Wounds  are  of  various  kinds,  as  follows: 

(1)  An  Incised  Wound. — This  is  a  wound  caused  by  a  clean 
cutting-  instrument  where  its  length  is  greater  than  its  depth. 

(2)  A  Punctured  Wound.— This  is  a  wound  caused  by  some 
sharp  or  blunt  instrument,  and  its  depth  exceeds  its  length. 

(3)  A  Lacerated  Wound.— This  is  a  wound  where  the  flesh  is 
both  torn  and  cut,  as  in  a  case  where  one  horse  kicks  another. 

(4)  A  Contused  Wound. — This  is  a  wound  where  the  skin  is 
not  broken,  but  the  tissues  under  the  skin  are  very  much  bruised, 
as,  for  instance,  a  man  with  a  black  eye.  This  is  one  of  the  best 
examples  of  this  kind  of  a  wound. 

GENERAL  TREATMENT  FOR  ALL  KINDS  OF  WOUNDS. 
If  the  wound  is  bleeding,  stop  it  in  any  of  the  following  ways: 
By  applying  cotton  batting  over  the  wound  and  a  tight  bandage 
over  the  cotton  batting,  and  leave  it  on  for  twenty-four  hours ;  or, 
by  putting  on  astringent  medicine.  The  best  medicine  for  this  is 
Monsell's  solution  of  iron;  apply  it  with  a  feather,  x'^^nother  very 
good  way  is  to  tie  the  end  of  the  artery  tightly  with  a  small 
string,  that  is,  if  you  can  get  hold  of  the  artery.  A  common 
sewing  needle  that  is  used  for  sewing  up  wounds  comes  in  very 
handy  in  some  cases,  by  just  running  the  needle  in  under  the 
.irtery  or  vein  that  is  bleeding,  and  tie  up  some  of  the  muscle  along 
v/ith  the  artery,  and  leave  it  tied  until  it  comes  off  of  its  own 
accord.  If  the  wound  is  deep,  and  you  cannot  catch  the  artery, 
plug  the  hole  with  cotton  batting  and  leave  it  in  for  twent\-four 
hours,  then  examine  the  wound  to  see  if  there  is  any  pieces  of 
stick  or  anything  left  in  it.  If  it  is  a  lacerated  wound,  sew  it  up 
^fter  washing  the  wound  out  with  a  little  luke  warm  water  to 
make  it  nice  and  clean.  The  best  way  to  sew  the  wound  is  to 
place  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose  and  have  one  of  his  front  legs 
held  up,  and  put  in  the  stitches  with  a  common  sewing  needle 
used  for  sewing  wounds,  which  can  be  got  at  any  wholesale  drug 
store,  and  use  the  small  carriage  trimmers'  twine  to  sew  it  up 
with,  which  can  be  got  at  any  hardware  store.  Before  starting  to 
sew  up  a  bad  cut,  examine  as  to  where  you  should  put  in  vour 
first  stitch,  so  as  to  bring  the  edges  of  the  wound  evenly  together. 
Put  in  the  stitches  one-half  inch  apart,  tying  each  stitch  separately 


200  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

until  you  have  the  whole  wound  sewed  up.  Just  draw  the  stitches 
moderately  tight,  they  will  stay  in  longer  than  if  they  were  drawn 
too  tight.  In  case  it  is  a  wild  animal,  throw  him  down  the  same 
as  if  you  were  going  to  castrate  him,  then  sew  it  up.  ^fter 
stitching  up  the  wound,  bathe  well  with  luke  warm  water  twice  a 
day  until  the  stitches  come  out  ;  after  bathing  each  time  apply  the 
white  lotion,  this  is  to  keep  down  the  inflammation  and  swelling. 
Allow  the  stitches  to  gradually  rot  out  of  their  own  accord,  then 
the  wound  will  open  up  again  ;  still  continue  to  bathe  and  apply 
the  white  lotion.  After  applying  the  white  lotion  each  time  after 
the  stitches  come  out  and  the  wound  is  opened  up  some,  paint  the 
wound  with  compound  tincture  of  benzoin  or  Friar's  balsam  ;  this 
will  keep  any  proud  flesh  from  growing  in  the  wound.  When  the 
wound  is  just  about  healed  up,  and  is  hard,  then  change  the 
treatment.  Quit  bathing  and  apply  the  lotion  and  benzoin. 
After  this,  use  the  green  salve  twice  a  day,  every  night  and 
morning.  The  best  way  to  apply  this  salve  is  to  melt  a  little  of 
it  in  a  spoon  by  holding  it  over  the  lantern  blaze  until  it  is  thin 
enough,  and  then  apply  it  with  a  feather  all  over  the  wound. 
The  idea  of  using  this  salve  is  that  it  not  only  heals,  but  it  keeps 
the  skin  soft  around  the  wound,  and  allows  the  edges  to  draw 
well  together,  and  makes  the  wound  look  nicer  when  it  is  healed. 
If  the  wound  is  deep,  and  there  is  not  a  very  large  hole  in  the 
skin,  do  not  sew  it  up,  but  treat  it  just  the  same  way  as  you 
would  after  the  stitches  have  come  out  of  a  wound  you  have 
sewed  up,  only  work  the  medicine  up  into  the  wound  by  using  a 
feather  or  a  syringe.  The  main  thing  in  this  kind  of  a  wound  is 
to  get  it  to  heal  from  the  inside  first.  If  you  have  a  wound 
where  the  skin  is  not  much  torn,  mostly  bruised,  give  it  lots  of 
bathing  with  luke  warm  water  two  or  three  times  a  day.  After 
bathing  each  time,  wipe  dry  and  apply  the  white  lotion  to  take 
down  the  swelling.  If  you  have  a  case  where  the  wound  is  of 
long  standing  and  does  not  seem  to  heal,  burn  it  a  little  with 
caustic  potash,  and  then  treat  it  the  same  as  an  ordinary  wound. 
Sometimes,  in  treating  a  wound,  the  matter  forms  a  pocket  and 
does  not  run  out.  In  this  case  you  must  cut  a  hole  at  the  bottom 
of  the  pocket  or  sack,  where  the  matter  is  lodged,  and  allow  it  to 
run  out;  after  this  treat,  and  you  will  find  it  will  heal  up  all  right. 
The  above  treatment  will  do  for  wounds  on  any  part  of  the  body 
except  around  the  eyes  or  feet.      You  will  find  separate  treatment 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  201 

for   these    wounds   g-iven   along-   with    the    diseases  of   the    parts. 

Look  in  the  index. 

MODES  OF  HEALING  WOUNDS. 

There  are  two  ways  of  healing-:  1st,  "Healing-  by  the  first 
intention;"  2d,  "  Healing-  by  the  second  intention."  Healing-  by 
the  first  intention  is  the  way  which  is  mostly  used  by  the  medical 
doctors.  This  is  when  the  wound  is  nicely  broug-ht  tog-ether  and 
kept  in  an  antiseptic  state  and  heals  from  the  start  without  suppurat- 
ing or  running-  matter.  Healing  by  the  second  intention  is  the 
way  that  wounds  are  mostly  treated  in  veterinary  practice,  for  you 
cannot  keep  the  horse  quiet,  and  the  wound  soon  becomes  irritated 
and  begins  to  run  matter,  which  is  a  good  sign  as  long  as  the 
discharge  is  of  a  nice  white  color.  After  the  wound  begins  to  run 
matter  it  gradually  becomes  knit  together.  In  all  cases  of  wounds 
keep  the  horse  quiet  and  feed  on  soft,  light  food  with  plenty  of 
boiled  flaxseed  in  it,  this  will  keep  his  bowels  regular  while  he  is 
standing  so  quiet.  If  there  is  a  thickening  left  after  you  have  the 
wound  healed  up  give  it  a  light  blistering  with  the  following  : 

Pulverized  Catharidea  or  Spanish  Fly H  drams. 

Lard  or  Vaseline 1    ounce. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  apply  a  little  of  it,  according  to  the  size 
-Qf  the  enlargement,  rub  it  in  well  and  let  it  go  for  three  days  and 
then  grease  the  blistered  part.  In  the  course  of  two  or  three 
weeks,  if  it  is  not  gone  completely  down,  wash  the  parts  with 
luke  warm  water  and  soap,  then  dry  and  apply  more  blister. 
After  blistering  treat  the  same  as  above  mentioned  ;  keep  on  blist- 
ering till  you  get  the  thickening  all  out. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  A  WOUND. 

This  generally  follows  deep  punctured  wounds,  but  might 
follow  other  kinds  of  wounds. 

Symptoms. — The  wound  becomes  very  much  swollen  and 
tender,  the  animal  seems  feverish  and  in  pain,  and  the  cut  dis- 
charges watery-looking  blood. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  warm,  and  give  a 
teaspoonful  of  nitrate  of  potash  or  saltpetre  in  his  feed  twice 
a  day,  also  feed  on  soft  food  to  keep  his  bowels  loose.  Bathe 
the  wound  three  times  a  day  with  hot  vinegar  and  water — half 
and  half — bathe  for  half  an  hour  or  more,  rub  dry  and  apply  the 
white  lotiori.  Swab  out  the  wound  by  means  of  a  sponge  or 
syringe  with  the  following:  Carbolic  acid,  25  drops  to  1  pint 
of  water.      Swab  out  each  time  after  bathing.  ^ 


202  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

BLOOD  POISONING. 

Causes. — From  a  wound  being  handled  with  dirty  hands  or 
dirty  or  rusty  instruments,  or  anything"  that  will  poison  the 
wound. 

Symptoms. — The  wound  becomes  very  sore,  and  commences 
swelling  and  festering,  and  he  is  apt  to  break  out  and  run  matter 
in  different  parts  of  the  body. 

Treatment. — Give  the  animal 
Hyposulphite  of  Soda 1   teaspoonf ul. 

Give  three  times  a  day  on  the  tongue  with  a  spoon  or  in  his 
feed.  This  is  to  kill  the  poison  in  the  blood.  Bathe  the  wound 
with  hot  water  three  or  four  times  a  day  and  poultice  between  the 
times  of  bathing  with  hot  linseed  meal.  Swab  the  wound  out  by 
means  of  a  sponge  or  syringe  with  carbolic  acid  and  water — 25 
drops  to  1  pint  of  luke  warm,  water.  This  is  to  clean  the  wound. 
Any  place  that  the  animal  breaks  out  treat  it  same  as  the  wound. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

INJURIES  AND  DISEASES  OF  THE  HEAD,  NECK, 
SHOULDERS,  BODY  AND  HIPS. 


I. INJURIES    TO    THE    HEAD    AND    NECK. 

POLL  EVIL. 

It  gets  its  name  from  affecting  the  poll  of  the  head. 

Causes. — It  is  caused  by  an  injury  of  some  kind,  as  a  horse 
striking  his  head  against  the  top  of  a  low  doorway  when  going  in 
or  out  of  it,  or  from  pulling  back  on  his  halter.  It  is  also  caused 
by  putting  on  a  heavy  poke  to  keep  the  animal  from  jumping. 

Symptoms. — Are  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  parts,  and  the 
horse  carries  his  head  stiff,  for  it  hurts  him  to  move  that  part  of 
his  neck.  Now,  if  he  does  not  get  relief  soon,  matter  will  form 
and  work  down  around  the  bones,  and  then  the  bones  themselves 
become  diseased. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  treated  as  soon  as  it  is  noticed  it  is  easily 
done.  Just  remove  the  cause  and  bathe  the  parts  well  with  warm 
water  and  a  little  vinegar  twice  a  day,  and  after  bathing  rub  dry, 
and  each  time  apply  the  white  liniment;  also,  keep  the  anima5 
very  quiet  and  feed  him  out  of  a  high    manger.      This   is   to   kee^ 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  20S 

the  sore  parts  as  quiet  as  possible  until  the  soreness  and  swelling 
is  all  gone.  In  a  case  where  matter  forms  open  it  with  a  knife 
at  the  lowest  part  so  as  to  allow  the  matter  to  run  out.  After 
opening  bathe  well  twice  a  day  and  melt  green  salve  and  pour  it 
into  the  cut  each  time  after  bathing.  In  a  case  where  the  bones 
become  diseased  you  will  have  to  throw  the  animal  and  cut  into  it 
and  scrape  out  the  dead  bone  before  it  will  heal,  then  treat  the 
same  as  above  mentioned.  In  case  where  poll  evil  gets  very  bad 
it  generally  leaves  the  horse's  neck  stiff,  and  he  will  not  be  able 
to  eat  off  of  the  ground.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  if  the  animal  is 
ugly  to  handle,  always  put  a  twitch  on  his  nose  while  you  are 
dressing  it.  After  you  get  the  parts  healed  up  all  right,  and  if  it 
is  thickened,  sweat  it  down  by  rubbing  the  parts  with  the  acid 
liniment,  apply  every  third  day  after  bathing  with  warm  water  and 
salt  until  the  thickening  has  gone  down. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  NECK. 

Causes. — Are  from  pulling  back  on  the  halter,  or  from  getting 
cast  in  the  stall.  In  some  cases  it  is  caused  from  having  been  bit 
by  another  horse. 

Symptoms. — Are  stiffness  of  the  neck,  also  swelling  and  sore- 
ness of  the  parts.  In  some  cases  he  will  carry  his  neck  to  one 
side. 

Treatment. — Is  to  bathe  well  with  warm  water  and  salt  two 
or  three  times  a  day.  After  bathing  wipe  dry  and  apply  the  white 
liniment  until  the  soreness  and  swelling  is  all  gone.  In  cases 
where  matter  forms  open  it  at  the  bottom  of  the  lump  and  allow 
it  to  run  out,  and  afterwards  treat  it  as  an  ordinary  wound  by 
applying  the  white  lotion. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  NECK. 

Causes. — Are  generally  from  falling  on  his  head  while  running 
away,  or  in  stumbling.  It  may  be  done  in  other  ways,  as  jump- 
ing over  anything  that  is  high  and  falling  on  his  head.  It  may 
also  occur  while  throwing  an  animal  and  allowing  him  to  fall  on 
his  neck. 

Symptoms. — If  the  fracture  causes  the  bones  to  press  on  the 
spinal  cord  it  causes  death  immediately  by  stopping  the  heart's 
action.  If  it  is  only  a  piece  off  of  one  ®f  the  bones  the  horse  will  be 
very  sore  around  the  part,  and  will  carry  his  head  to  tl  e  side  the 
fracture  is  on.  If  you  go  to  straighten  his  neck  he  will  almost 
fall  down. 


204  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

rreatment.  — Keep  the  animal  as  quiet  as  you  can  and  feed 
him  out  of  a  high  mang-er.  Bathe  the  parts  well  with  warm 
water  twice  a  day  and  apply  the  white  liniment  each  time  after 
bathing-,  and  the  bones,  after  a  time,  will  unite  together.  If  it  does 
not  heal  together  the  part  broken  will  fester  and  form  matter  in 
it,  then  open  up  the  parts  with  a  sharp  knife  and  remove  the  piece 
of  broken  bone,  then  treat  as  a  common  wound  and  you  will  find 
it  will  soon  heal  up. 

SORE  ON  THE  TOP  OF  THE  NECK  FROM  THE  COLLAR. 

Causes. — Are  from  a  bad  fitting  collar  irritating  the  neck,  or 
from  sometimes  taking  a  horse  that  is  not  used  to  a  collar  and 
working  him  too  hard  before  his  neck  is  hardened  to  the  collar, 
causing  his  neck  to  become  scalded  and  sore. 

Symptoms. — Are  very  plain,  the  top  of  the  neck  becomes  sore 
and  raw  looking,  and  the  horse  is  afraid  to  let  you  handle  that 
part  of  his  neck. 

Treatment. — Is  to  wear  a  nice  fitting  collar  on  him  and  have 
a  regular  pad  for  the  top  of  the  neck ;  dry  and  clean  it  every  time 
after  using  it;  clip  oflf  the  mane  around  the  sore  and  wash  it  every 
night  with  cold  water  and  salt,  then  dry  it  well  and  apply  the 
white  lotion,  also  apply  the  lotion  every  morning,  without  washing, 
before  you  take  him  out  to  work ;  sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  lay 
him  off  work  for  a  few  days  to  get  it  healed. 


il, INJURIES  .\ND  DISEASES    .AROUND    THE    SHOULDERS  .AND  WITHERS. 

FISTULOUS  WITHERS. 

This  disease  resembles  poll  evil,  and  also  gets  its  name  from 
the  part  it  affects. 

Causes. — Are  from  riding  a  horse  with  a  poor-fitting  saddle, 
which  bruises  the  withers;  from  a  horse  rolling  or  getting  cast  on 
his  back,  and  in  this  way  bruise  the  withers  and  bring  on  this 
disease. 

Symptoms. — Are  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  withers,  and  if 
allowed  to  run  on  without  being  treated  soon  forms  matter,  which 
will  burrow  down  around  the  bones;  if  it  is  not  attended  to  soon 
after  it  affects  the  bones  the  matter  that  comes  from  it  will  have  a 
very  bad  smell,  and  little  pipes  will  form  which  will  run  down  to 
the  bones. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  205' 

Treatment. — If  you  notice  it  as  soon  as  it  begins  to  form 
matter,  bathe  well  two  or  three  times  a  day,  and  each  time  after 
bathing  rub  the  parts  with  white  liniment  ;  if  matter  forms,  open 
the  swelling  up  at  the  very  lowest  part  so  as  to  let  the  matter  run 
out,  then  bathe,  as  above  mentioned,  and  pour  hot  green  salve 
right  into  the  hole.  In  a  case  where  the  discharge  of  matter 
smells  very  bad,  and  you  think  the  bone  is  diseased,  throw  the 
animal,  cut  down  to  the  diseased  bone  and  scrape  it,  then  treat  with 
green  salve  by  pouring  it  into  the  cut  twice  a  day  after  bathing.. 
Both  this  disease  and  poll  evil,  in  bad  cases,  are  tedious  to'treat. 
In  dressing  the  wound  always  put  a  twitch  on  the  horse's  nose  if 
he  is  very  ugly.  If  there  is  a  thickening  after  you  have  the  parts 
healed  up,  rub  the  parts  with  acid  liniment  ;  apply  the  liniment 
every  third  day  after  bathing  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt  until, 
the  thickening  is  all  gone  down. 

SWEENY  (SHOULDER  SLIP). 

This  is  a  common  occurrence  in  young  horses. 

Causes. — It  is  more  likely  to  occur  in  young  horses  than  in 
old  ones.  It  may  be  caused  in  ploughing,  when  the  plough 
strikes  solid  against  anything,  causing  a  sudden  jerk;  or  in 
horses  that  are  used  on  a  tongue  and  the  wheel  passes  over  a 
stone  or  rough  piece  of  ground,  swinging  the  end  of  the  tongue 
around,  causing  the  neckyoke  to  jerk  and  bruise  the  shoulder. 
Anything  that  will  bruise  the  muscle  of  the  shoulder  will  bring 
it  on. 

Symptoms. — They  are  well  marked.  As  soon  as  the  horse 
receives  the  injury  there  will  be  a  slight  swelling  and  soreness  of 
the  part,  afterwards  there  is  a  wasting  away  of  the  muscles  that 
are  injured.  It  is  generally  the  muscles  lying  over  the  shoulder 
blade  that  become  affected  with  this  disease,  and  in  some  cases 
the  muscles  fall  away  until  there  is  a  large  hollow  over  the 
shoulder  blade.  In  some  cases  the  horse  is  not  very  lame,  but 
goes  a  little  stiff. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  is  at  very  heavy  work,  change  it 
to  light  v/ork,  and  if  you  can  allow  him  to  run  without  work  so 
much  the  better.  Bathe  the  parts  well  with  cold  water  and  salt 
every  night  if  in  the  summer;  after  bathing,  wipe  dry  and  hand 
rub  and  pull  the  skin  out  on  the  hollow;  this  is  to  get  the  skin 
loose  from  the  muscle.  Every  third  day  after  bathing  apply  the 
acid  liniment  in  and  around  the  hollow  part  of  the  shoulder  ;  this 


206  THE  VETEEINARY  SCIENCE. 

is    the   best    remedy   known.      Continue   this   treatment    until    the 

muscle   becomes   its   natural   size   and   the    shoulder  is  filled   out. 

It  sometimes  takes  the  muscles  a   long   time  to   fill   out  to   their 

natural  size,  but,  as  a  general  thing,  it  gets  all  right  in  the  course 

of  time.      If  you  can,   turn  him  out  to  pasture,  then  blister  in   and 

around  the  hollow  place  with  the  following: 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1^  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  well  together  and  rub  it  all  in  to  the  parts,  and  grease 
three  days  after  with  lard,  and  repeat  blister  every  three  weeks 
until  cured. 

SCALDED  OR  GALLED  SHOULDERS. 

Causes. — Generally  from  the  collar  getting  hard  from  the 
sweat  drying  on  it;  or  from  a  bad-fitting  collar — either  too  big  or 
too  small.  Sometimes,  in  the  spring  of  t-he  year,  when  the  horse's 
shoulders  are  tender  and  not  used  to  work  ;  by  putting  the  horse 
to  hard  work  scalds  and  makes  the  shoulders  sore. 

Treatment. — Use  a  good-fitting  collar,  and  keep  it  clean  by 
brushing  or  scraping  the  dirt  oflf  it  before  using.  While  you 
are  working  your  horses,  if  you  are  going  to  allow  them  to  stand  a 
few  minutes,  raise  the  collars  so  as  to  allow  the  air  to  get  to  the 
shoulders,  also  keep  the  mane  from  getting  under  the  collar. 
Every  night,  after  working,  bathe  with  cold  water  and  salt,  and 
after  wiping  dry,  if  they  are  sore,  apply  the  white  lotion ;  this  will 
heal  and  harden  the  skin. 

BRUISES  OF  THE  SHOULDER. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  from  a  bruise  of  any  kind. 

Symptoms. — A  swelling  appears  around  the  bruised  part  soon 
after  it  is  done,  and  when  you  come  to  examine  it,  it  is  found  to 
contain  water,  or  serum. 

Treatment. — Cut  into  the  swelling  at  the  bottom  part  of  it 
and  allow  the  water  to  run  out;  make  a  hole  large  enough  for  you 
to  put  in  your  finger;  after  opening,  bathe  well  with  luke  warm 
water  twice  a  day;  after  bathing,  wipe  dry,  and  apply  the  white 
liniment  around  the  swelling,  and,  as  well  as  doing  this,  dress 
the  inside  of  the  swelling,  to  get  it  to  heal  from  the  inside,  with 
compound  tincture  of  benzoin  or  Friar's  balsam,  or  you  might  use 
green  salve  instead  of  the  benzoin  to  put  in  the  wound  ;  insert  it 
up  into  the  hole  with  a  feather. 


DISEASES  A^^D  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  207 

TUMORS  OR  LUMPS  ON  THE  SHOULDER. 

Causes. — From  the  animal  receiving  a  bruise  of  any  kind  on 
the  shoulder,  and  not  being-  properly  treated  afterwards,  it  turns 
into  a  hard,  callous  lump. 

Treatment. — The  best  treatment  is  to  take  a  sharp  knife  and 
skin  the  lumps  right  out;  after  this,  sew  up  the  skin  with  a  needle 
and  twine,  and  treat  them  as  a  lacerated  wound.  There  is  not 
much  danger  in  cutting  around  the  shoulder,  for  there  are  no 
large  vessels  where  these  lumps  are  generally  found. 

SHOULDER  JOINT  LAMENESS. 

This  is  a  very  bad  lameness,  and  the  seat  of  the  trouble  is 
generally  situated  where  the  large  muscle  oiF  the  shoulder  passes 
down  through  the  pulley-shaped  part  on  the  bones  on  the  front  of 
the  shoulder  joint. 

Causes. — From  a  severe  sprain  of  the  joint,  and  is  generally 
caused  by  a  horse  becoming  cast  in  his  stall  ;  or  from  going 
through  deep  snow  ;  or  from  falling  on  his  shoulder  ;  or  from  a 
kick  from  another  horse  ;  and  sometimes  it  is  caused  from  a  kind 
of  rheumatic  inflammation  s'ettling  in  the  joint. 

Symptoms. — When  the  animal  is  trotting  he  will  step  short 
on  the  affected  leg,  and  will  often  strike  the  toe  and  stumble,  on 
account  of  not  being  able  to  lift  the  leg  up  properly.  In  standing, 
he  will  bring  the  foot  well  under  him,  resting  on  the  toe,  allowing 
the  knee  to  bend  forward  ;  this  is  to  give  the  shoulder  a  rest.  If 
you  pinch  him  around  the  shoulder,  he  will  flinch  from  soreness. 

Treatment. — If  the  case  is  allowed  to  run  on  for  a  long  time, 

and   the   bone   becomes  diseased,    it   is   incurable  ;  but  if  taken  in 

time,  you  may  eff'ect  a  cure  by  bathing  the  shoulder  with  luke  warm 

water  and  salt  twice  a  day.     After  bathing,  wipe  dry  and  rub  well 

with  white  liniment.      Keep  the  animal  in  the  stable  and  keep  the 

shoulder  as  quiet  as  you   can.     After  the  soreness  is  pretty  well 

out,  blister  with  the  following  blister  : 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1 J  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  half  of  this  mixture  around  the  front  and  side 
of  the  shoulder  joint  ;  rub  in  well  and  allow  it  to  stand  for  three 
days,  then  grease  with  lard.  After  two  or  three  weeks,  if  the 
animal  does  not  seem  better,  wash  the  shoulder  off  and  blister 
again,  following  the  same  instructions  as  given  before. 


208  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

SORE  BACK. 

Causes. — From  a  bad-fitling  harness  ;  or  from  the  backing  of 
the  harness  rubbint;^  on  it. 

Treatment. — In  all  cases  remove  the  cause,  and,  if  in  the 
summer  time,  bathe  with  cold  water  and  soap;  if  in  the  winter, 
use  warm  water  and  soap;  do  this  twice  a  day.  After  bathing 
each  time,  wipe  dry  and  apply  the  white  lotion. 

CHRONIC  SORES  ON  BACK  OR  SHOULDERS  (SIT-FAST). 

Causes. —  From  working  and  neglecting  a  sore  shoulder  or 
back. 

S3"niptOins. — The  sore  spot  has  no  tendency  to  heal  and  keeps 
raw  all  the  time  while  working. 

Treatment. — Burn  the  sore  with  caustic  potash  and  afterward 

treat  by   keeping  the  animal   from  work,   bathe  with  luke  warm 

water,  and,  after  bathing,  apply  the  white  lotion  twice  a  day  until 

it  is  healed. 

BROKEN  BACK. 

Causes. —  From  an  animal  receiving  a  fall  of  some  kind. 

Symptoms. — if  the  break  is  near  the  front  of  the  bones  of  the 
back  it  will  cause  instant  death,  but  if  it  occurs  further  back  it  will 
cause  paralysis  of  the  hind  quarters. 

Treatment. — There  is  none  but  to  destroy  the  animal. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  BELLY. 

Causes. — Sometimes  when  a  horse  steps  on  a  sharp  piece  of 
stick  it  turns  up  and  catches  the  muscles  of  the  belly,  or  from  the 
hook  of  a  cow,  or  from  the  kick  of  another  horse. 

Treatment. —  If  it  is  a  lacerated  wound,  stitch  it  up,  and  treat 
it  same  as  given  for  lacerated  wounds  ;  if  it  is  a  punctured  wound, 
and  only  has  a  small  hole  in  the  skin,  examine  to  see  that  there  is 
nothing  in  it,  and  then  use  the  same  treatment  as  that  given  for 
punctured  wounds.  If  the  wound  is  severe  enough  to  allow  the 
bowels  to  come  out,  then  it  is  a  more  serious  case.  If  the  bowels 
are  out  to  any  great  extent,  and  are  injured  by  the  horse  tramping 
on  them,  it  is  best  to  destroy  him  at  once,  but  if  the  bowels  are 
only  out  a  little,  and  are  not  injured  or  blackened,  throw  and 
secure  the  animal,  and  wash  the  bowels  off  with  a  little  luke  warm 
water  and  shove  them  back  into  their  place,  then  stitch  up  the 
wound  good  and  tight,  afterward  bathe  the  wound  twice  a  day 
with  luke  warm  water  and  apply  the  white  lotion  each  time  after 
bathing.      If  the  opening  is  very  large  it  is  well  to  wrap  a  bandage 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  209 

of  factory  cotton  around  the  body  to  help  to  support  the  stitches. 
Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  feed  on  soft  food  until  the  wound 
heals  up. 

STAKED. 

This  is  a  very  common  occurrertce  among'  horses. 

Causes. — The  animal  steps  upon  a  piece  of  stick  and  it 
turns  up  and  catches  him,  or  from  jumping-  a  fence  and 
g-etting-  caug-ht,  or  running  against  a  stake  sticking-  up  in  a  field, 
or  a  plow  handle  or  anything-  that  the  animal  will  run  against. 

Treatment.-  Pull  the  stake  out  if  it  is  still  stuck  in  the 
horse,  and  examine  it  to  see  that  there  is  no  pieces  of  the  wood 
left  in  the  wound.  There  is  never  much  bleeding  in  a  case  of 
this  kind,  but  if  it  does,  stuff  the  hole  with  cotton  batting  and 
leave  it  in  for  twenty-four  hours  ;  after  this  time  it  will  be  safe  to 
take  it  out,  then  treat  same  as  for  punctured  wound.  Keep  the 
animal  quiet  until  it  begins  to  heal,  and  feed  on  soft  food  with 
plenty  of  flaxseed  in  it  to  keep  his  bowels  loose. 

HIPPED. 

This  is  when  the  point  of  the  hip  bone  is  knocked  down. 

Causes. — From  running  through  a  narrow  doorway  &ad 
striking  the  side  of  it,  or  from  falling  on  hard  ground,  or  anything 
that  will  strike  the  point  of  the  hip  hard  enough  to  break  a  piece 
off  the  bone. 

Symptoms. — At  the  time  it  happens  there  will  be  swelling  and 
soreness  around  the  point  of  the  hip.  After  it  gets  well  you  will 
notice  that  the  injured  hip  is  not  as  large  as  the  other,  and  it  is  a 
nasty  eye-sore  on  a  horse. 

Treatment. — The  only  thing  to  be  done  after  it  is  knocked 
down  is  to  bathe  and  apply  the  white  liniment  after  bathing  until 
you  get  the  swelling  and  soreness  out,  then  leave  it  alone.  If  it 
is  a  case  where  the  hip  swells  up  and  begins  to  fester  aroun-d  the 
broken  piece  of  bone,  cut  into  it  and  take  the  piece  out,  then  treat 
same  as  lacerated  wound. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  HIP  BONES. 

This  is  generally  caused  from  a  horse  slipping  and  falling  osv 
ice,  or  may  be  done  in  any  other  way  when  the  animal  receives 
injury  enough  to  fracture  the  bones. 

Symptoms. — There  is  severe  lameness,  and  if  you  examine 
closely  by  twisting  on  the  bones  you  will  hear  the  broken  ends  wf 

—14— 


210  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

ihe  bones  g^rind  on  each  other.      In  a  short  time  the  parts  around 
the  fracture  become  greatly  swollen. 

Treatment. — if  the  fracture  is  very  bad  it  is  best  to  destroy 
the  animal,  but  if  you  want  to  try  to  save  it,  all  that  can  be  done 
is  to  keep  the  animal  very  quiet  and  bathe  the  parts  well  with  luke 
warm  water  and  vinegar,  after  rubbing  dry,  rub  well  with  white 
liniment  twice  a  day,  and  in  some  cases  this  will  affect  a  cure  in 
the  course  of  a  few  weeks. 

ROLLING  AWAY  OF  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  HIP  AFTER  FOALING. 

Causes. — The  muscles  become  injured,  while  the  mare  is  foal- 
ing, by  throwing  herself  down  or  striking  herself  against  any- 
thing and  bruising  the  muscles  on  either  hip. 

Symptoms. — The  mare  will  be  noticed  to  be  stiff  and  sore 
after  foaling,  and  after  a  few  days  there  will  be  a  falling  away  of 
the  muscles  of  whichever  hip  was  injured.  The  lameness  varies, 
in  some  cases  it  is  worse  than  others. 

Treatment. — The  best  and  only  treatment  for  this  is  to  let  the 

mare  run  out  and  apply  a  fly-blister  to  the  wasted  muscles.      Use 

the  following  blister  : 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly I J  drains. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1    ounce. 

Mix  well  and  apply  all  over  the  wasted  muscles,  rub  in  well 
and  tie  the  mare  so  she  cannot  bite  or  rub  the  blistered  parts  for  a 
few  hours,  then  turn  her  out  and  grease  in  three  days  afterward, 
allow  it  to  go  for  a  month,  and  if  she  is  not  better  blister  aigain, 
and  keep  on  blistering  every  month  until  she  is  better. 

SORE   TAIL  FROM  THE  CRUPPER. 

Causes. — From  reining  the  horse  too  high,  which  draws  the 
crupper  too  tight,  or  from  the  horse  sweating  and  allowing  it  to 
get  dry  and  hard  on  the  crupper,  or  anything  that  will  irritate 
the  tail. 

Treatment. — By  not  using  the  crupper  under  his  tail  for  a  few 
■days  you  will  have  removed  the  cause,  and  to  heal  it  wash  the 
parts  off  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap  ;  after  bathing  it  once 
apply  the  white  lotion  twice  a  day,  without  bathing,  until  it  is 
healed  up. 

FRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  TAIL. 

Causes. — Usually  from  a  horse  rearing  up  and  falling  back  on 
kis  haunches. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  211 

Treatment. —  Keep  the  animal  quiet,  and  if  it  is  the  season  for 
flies,  cover  the  animal  so  it  will  not  have  to  use  its  tail  in  trying 
to  keep  them  off ;  if  the  tail  is  much  swollen  rub  with  vi^hite  lini- 
ment twice  a  day  until  the  swelling  is  gone  down,  then  leave  the 
animal  quiet  until  the  bones  unite.  If  there  is  not  much  swelling 
bandage  moderately  tight  and  leave  the  bandage  on  a  few  days  at 
a  time,  while  the  bones  are  uniting. 

HIP  JOINT  LAMENESS. 

This  is  a  sprain  of  the  round  ligament  in  the  hip  joint. 

Causes. — The  way  this  disease  generally  occurs  is  from  a 
horse  stepping  on  a  small,  round  stone,  and  the  stone  turns  and 
throws  the  leg  forward,  or  from  slipping  on  ice,  or  falhng  in  other 
ways  and  striking  the  hip. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  steps  short  on  the  affected  side,  and 
in  trotting  he  goes  kind  of  three-cornered,  and  every  time  the 
horse  raises  his  leg  the  hip  raises  with  it,  showing  that  he  is  try- 
ing to  keep  the  hip  quiet  ;  he  will  also  flinch  when  you  press 
around  the  hip  joint.  If  the  disease  is  allowed  to  run  on  for  some 
time  there  is  a  wasting  of  the  muscles  around  the  part. 

Treatment.— If  it  is  an  old  standing  case,  and  the  joint  is  dis- 
eased, it  is  incurable,  but  if  taken  in  time  the  animal  may  be  cured 
by  keeping  him  quiet  and  bathing  the  parts  well  with  luke  warm 
water  and  salt  twice  a  day;  after  bathing,  each  time,  wipe  dry  and 
apply  the  white  liniment.  Keep  on  with  this  treatment  until  you 
get  the  soreness  and  swelling  out,  then  blister  with  the  fol- 
lowing : 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly H  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard I    ounce. 

Mix  well  and  there  will  be  enough  to  blister  the  hip  three 

times,  each  time  rub  the  blister  in   well,  allow  it  to  go  for  three 

days,  then  grease  with    lard  ;   let   it   go   for   three   or   four  weeks, 

then  blister  again  ;    repeat  the  blister  this  way  until   the  animal  is 

over  the  lameness. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  MUSCLES  OF  THE  HIP. 

This  is  more  common  than  hip  joint  lameness,  and  is  usually 
caused  in  heavy  horses  by  slipping  while  pulling  a  heavy  load ; 
or  while  driving  light  horses,  you  pull  them  up  suddenly,  causing 
them  to  slip,  and  in  this  way  they  sometimes  sprain  the  muscles 
of  the  hip. 


212  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  muscles^ 
which  will  be  best  noticed  while  standing"  behind  the  animal,  and 
there  will  be  great  difficulty  in  bringing  the  leg  forward. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  quiet ;  bathe  well  with  luke 
warm  water  and  salt  two  or  three  times  a  day;  after  bathing, 
wipe  dry  and  rub  the  parts  well  with  white  liniment.  Follow  up 
this  treatment  until  the  animal  is  better. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  FRONT  AND  HIND  LEGS. 

CAPPED  ELBOW. 

This  is  a  thickening  at  the  back  of  the  elbow  joint. 

Causes. — From  shoeing  and  leaving  a  long  heel  on  the  shoe^ 
which  catches  the  animal  in  that  part  while  he  is  lying  down  ;  or 
from  wearing  a  heavy  belly  band  on  the  harness,  which  rubs 
against  and  irritates  the  elbow. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  caused  by  the  shoe,  have  him  shod 
with  a  short-heeled  shoe,  and,  for  a  time,  tie  an  old  bag 
around  the  foot,  so  when  he  is  lying  down  the  foot  will  not  irritate 
the  elbow.  Treat  with  the  following  as  con  as  noticed  '.  Bathe 
well  with  luke  warm  water  and  vinegar  twice  a  Jay.  it  it  is  not 
raw,  only  swollen,  use  the  white*  liniment  after  bathing  ;  but  if  it 
is  raw,  use  the  white  lotion  ;  this  will  generally  bring  it  all  right. 
In  some  cases  it  festers  and  matter  forms  in  it  ;  in  this  case  open 
it  up  with  a  knife  at  the  lowest  part  of  the  swelling,  and  treat  it 
the  same  as  above  mentioned,  only  melt  a  little  green  salve  and 
put  it  in  the  hole  each  time  after  dressing  it  until  it  heals.  If  it  is 
of  long  standing,  and  there  is  a  large,  hard  lump  formed  on  the 
cap  of  the  elbow,  the  only  treatment  is  to  throw  the  animal  and 
secure  him,  and  skin  the  lump  out  carefully,  which  can  be  done 
without  much  bleeding.  After  you  cut  the  lump  out,  draw  the 
skin  together  with  a  few  stitches  and  treat  the  same  as  a  lacerated 
wound,  by  bathing  with  luke  warm  water  and  applying  the  white 
lotion  twice  a  day  until  it  heals  up. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  BONES  IN  THE  SHOULDER. 

Causes. — Generally  from  falling,  or  from  running  against 
somethi'  g. 

Symptoms. — There  will  be  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  parts,, 
and  the  animal  will  be  very  lame,  and,  on  moving  the  shoulder^ 
you  will  hear  the  ends  of  the  bones  grating  on  each  other. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  213 

ireatment. — in  most  cases  it  is  best  to  destroy  the  animal, 
but  if  you  attempt  to  treat  it,  keep  the  animal  quiet  and  bathe 
with  luke  warm  water  twice  a  day.  After  bathing-,  apply  the 
white  liniment ;  this  is  to  keep  down  the  swelling-  and  inflamma- 
tion. The  treatment  in  this  case  is  of  very  little  success.  The 
parts  become  badly  swollen  and  the  animal  is  in  severe  pain,  and 
it  is  best  to  have  him  destroyed. 

INJURIES  AND  SPRAINS  OF  THE  KNEE. 

Causes. — Generally  from  the  animal  falling-  and  hurting  the 
knees. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  cannot  bend  the  knee  in  walking, 
and  when  you  handle  it,  it  seems  very  sore. 

Treatment. —  Keep  the  animal   quiet,   and  bathe  twice  a  day 

with  luke  warm  water  and  salt,  and  after  bathing  apply  the  white 

liniment;  but  if  the  knee  is  cut,  use  the  white  lotion  after  bathing-] 

If   the   cut  is  larg-e,    put  a  few  stitches  in  it,  and  treat  as  above 

mentioned. 

STRIKING  THE  KNEE  (SPEEDY  CUT). 

This  is  where  the  animal  strikes  the  knee  with  the  opposite  foot. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  g-enerally  by  bad  shoeing-,  or  using 
too  heavy  a  shoe  on  colts;  some  horses  with  high  action  have  a 
tendency  to  strike  the  knees. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  on  the  inside  of  the  knee  ;  it  is 
very  painful,  and  as  soon  as  you  go  to  handle  it  the  animal  will 
jerk  his  knee  away  from  you.  In  some  cases  it  becomes  very 
much  swollen  and  forms  matter  in  it.  When  the  horse  is  walking, 
in  bringing  his  leg  forward  he  will  swing  it  out  and  can  hardly  get 
along,  it  being  so  sore  ;  while  in  other  cases,  where  he  does  not 
strike  it  so  severe,  the  inside  of  the  knee  becomes  thickened  and  hard. 

Treatment. — Leave  the  animal  off  work,  and  bathe  the  parts 

well  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt  two  or  three   times  a  day;    the 

more  bathing  the  better.      Each   time   after  bathing,  rub  dry   and 

apply  the  white  liniment.      If  there  is   matter   formed,  open   it  up 

with  a  sharp  knife   to   allow  the   matter   to    run  out,  then  treat  as 

above  mentioned.     After  it   is  healed  up,  if  there  is  a  thickening, 

blister  the  thickening  with  the  following: 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  dram. 

Mix    well   and   rub    what    you    can    nicely    get    on    over    the 

swelling;   rub  in  well  and  grease  the   third    day;  let   it    go   for   a 

:;ouple   of  weeks,    then    blister   again,    and    repeat   the   blistering 


214  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

until  the  thickening'  is  gone.      After  this,  be  careful   how  you  have 

the  animal  shod,  and  if  he  is  inclined  to  strike,  wear  a  knee  boot 

on  him. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  KNEE. 

Causes. —  From  falling  on  the  knees. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  be  very  lame,  the  knees  become 
swollen  and  is  hot  and  tender. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  bathe  well  with  luke 
warm  water — the  more  the  better — after  bathing,  efich  time  apply 
white  liniment.  It  generally  takes  a  case  of  this  kind  four  or  five 
weeks  to  get  better.  After  the  soreness  and  swelling  has  gone 
down  it  is  well  to  blister  a  few  times  with  the  fly  blister  to  get  the 
soreness  and  thickening  out  of  the  knee. 

PUFFY  ENLARGEMENTS  AROUND  THE  KNEES  AND  FETLOCKS 
(BURSAL  ENLARGEMENTS). 

Causes. — From  striking  the  knee  against  the  manger  while 
pawing,  or  from  lying  on  the  hard  floor,  or  anything  that  \v\\\ 
bruise  the  knee  or  fetlock. 

Symptoms.- -There  is  a  puffy  enlargement,  but  not  sore  to 
handle,  and  it  feels  as  if  it  was  full  of  oil. 

Treatment. — Bathe  well  once  a  day  with  cold  water  and  salt, 
rub  dry  and  bandage  for  three  hours.  After  you  remove  the 
bandage — every  third  day — apply  acid  liniment,  which  will  make, 
as  a  general  thing,  a  complete  cure.  Never  attempt  to  open  a 
Bursal,  for  it  will  allow  the  oil  that  is  in  it  to  run  out.  In  all 
cases,  if  you  find  the  cause,  remove  it. 

SPLINT  AFFECTING  THE  KNEE. 
This   is  where   the  splint    is  very   high    up  on    the  bones  and 
aflfects  the  knee. 

Treatment. — Use  the  same  treatment  that  is  given  for  splint^ 
but  in  some  cases  it  is  very  hard  to  eff"ect  a  cure. 

KNEE  SPRUNG. 
This  is  when  the  knee  is  bent  forward. 

Causes. — From  hard  and  fast  work,  or  from  standing  in  a 
stall  that  has  a  big  slant,  high  in  front  and  low  behind,  or  from 
feeding  out  of  a  very  high  rack,  or  from  a  sprain  and  contraction 
of  the  back  tendons,  or  a  horse  being  shod  with  high  jieels  will; 
cause  it.  Horses  with  weak,  small  knees  are  more  subject  to  this 
than  horses  with  good,  strong  straight  knees.  An  animal  majr 
be  very  badly  knee  sprung  and  still  be  a  good  work  horse. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  215 

Treatment. — If  you  want  to  work  the  animal  and  treat  it,  first 
fix  the  floor,  see  that  it  is  level  and  also  feed  him  off  the  floor. 
Bathe  the  legs  with  cold  water  and  salt  twice  a  day,  after  bathing- 
rub  dry  and  apply  the  white  liniment  every  night,  after  the  liniment 
is  dried  in,  bandage  for  a  few  hours,  shoe  the  animal  with  a  flat 
shoe,  if  the  roads  are  not  slippery.  If  you  do  not  want  to  use  the 
horse  turn  him  out  and  blister  the  back  cords  once  a  month  with 
the  following  : 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard , . .  1  ounce. 

Mix  and  there  will    be    enough    in    this    to    blister    both   legs 

once,  rub  in  well  and  tie  his  head  short  so  he  can  he  can  not  bite 

it  for  a  few  hours,  then   in   three   days,  grease   it   and   let  him  run 

for  a  month,  and  repeat  the  blister  until  he  is  better. 

CALF-KNEED. 

This  is  not  a  disease  but  a  fault  in  the  formation  of  the  knee, 
this  is  where  the  animal  stands  with  his  knees  bent  back. 

Treatment. — There  is  none;  only  in  buying  a  horse  watch  that 
he  is  not  calf-kneed  for  they  are  bad  stumblers. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  BACK  TENDONS. 

There  is  more  or  less  swelling  around  the  sprained  tendons,  the 
animal  will  be  lame  in  travelling,  and  if  you  press  on  the  cords 
he  will  flinch. 

Treatment. — Bathe  with  cold  water  and  salt  if  in  summer,  but 
if  in  winter  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt  twice  a  day,  rub 
dry  and  apply  the  white  liniment,  and  an  hour  or  so  after  applying 
the  liniment,  bandage,  leaving  the  bandage  on  for  three  hours. 
After  he  is  pretty  well  over  the  lameness,  and  if  there  is  a  thicken- 
ing left,  blister  with  the  following  : 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  rub  enough  in  to  blister  him  well,  and  grease  the 
third  day.      Keep  the  animal  quiet  while  treating  him. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  FETLOCK  JOINT. 

Causes. — From  the  horse  stepping  crooked  or  turning  over  on 
his  ankle. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  be  very  lame,  the  joint  will  be 
swollen  and  sore  to  handle. 

Treatment. — Use  the  same  treatment  as  given  in  sprain  of  the 
back  tendons. 


216  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

KNUCKLING. 

Causes. — From  hard  and  fast  work.  Horses  that  stand 
•iraight  on  the  fetlock  are  more  apt  to  knuckle. 

SymptOItlS. — There  will  be  a  jerking  forward  of  the  fetlock 
every  time  the  animal  steps,  and  in  standing  the  animal  stands 
with  his  fetlock  joint  bent  forward  instead  of  back. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  case  of  long  standing  there  can  be 
nothing  done,  but  if  it  is  only  coming  on  blister  him  around 
the  fetlock  and  turn  him  out.      Blister  with 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  around  the  fetlock,  rub  the  blister  in  well  and 

allow  it  to  stand  for  three  days,  then  grease  and  let  it  go  for  a  few 

weeks  and  blister  again  ;   repeat  the  blistering  until  the  joint  gets 

strong.      There  will  be  enough  in  the  above  prescription  to  blister 

two  fetlocks. 

KNUCKLING  IN  COLTS. 

Causes. — From  being  left  in  the  stable  without  getting  mush 
exercise  during  the  winter  and  in  the  spring  he  will  be  knuckled 
in  the  fetlocks. 

Treatment. — Before  turning  him  out  blister  around  the  fet- 
locks well  with  the  above  blister,  and  in  three  days  afterwards 
grease  and  turn  him  out  to  pasture. 

INTERFERING,  OR  STRIKING  THE  FETLOCKS. 

This  trouble  is  mostly  met  with  in  colts  when  they  are 
first  shod. 

Causes. — Sometimes  from  shoeing  with  too  heavy  a  shoe  and 
putting  the  horse  on  a  long  trip  before  he  is  used  to  it.  Some 
horses  naturally  travel  so  close  behind  that  they  brush  the  legs 
together. 

Symptoms. — Soreness  on  tne  inside  or"  c  le  t'etiock,  and  some- 
times the  hair  and  skin  will  be  knocked  off,  ind  in  severe  cases 
will  swell  badly  When  the  horse,  in  travelling,  strikes  himself  he 
will  hop  on  three  legs  with  pain  for  a  little  piece,  then  be  all  right 
until  he  strikes  again. 

Treatment. — Bathe  the  leg  well  with  lukewarm  water  and  a  little 
castile  soap  twice  a  day,  if  it  is  swoolen,  after  bathing  rub  dry  and 
apply  the  white  lotion.  Have  the  shoes  changed  and  tm^de  light. 
If  the  animal  is  in  poor  condition,  feed  him  well  and  do  not  work 
him  too  hard  until  he  gets  strong  and  in  good  shape  for  his  work. 
While  you  are  driving,  it  is  well  \o  wear  an  interfering  boot  on  the 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  217 

leg,  and  by  careful  shoeing-  and  getting"  him  strong  and  able  for 
his  work,  he  generally  gets  over  it  all  right. 

WIND  GALLS. 

These  are  little  puffy  swellings  at  the  back  part  of  the  fetlock 
joint. 

Causes. — From  hard  driving,  in  some  horses  it  comes  on 
easier  than  others. 

Symptoms. — It  does  not  generally  lame  the  animal,  but  it  is  an 
eye  sore.  These  little  puffy  swellings  are  full  of  oil,  which  comes 
from  the  bursal  that  secretes  the  oil  which  lubricates  the  back 
t-jndons  where  they  work  over  the  back  of  the  fetlock. 

Treatment. — If  in  the  summer,  bathe  the  legs  well  every 
night  with  cold  water  and  salt,  then  rub  dry  and  put  on  a 
bandage  ;  leave  this  on  for  a  couple  of  hours  every  night  after 
bathing,  and  every  third  night  give  the  leg  a  good  rubbing  with 
acid  liniment  after  taking  the  bandage  off.  If  this  does  not  cure 
him  in  a  few  weeks,  blister  with  the  fly  blister  used  in  knuckling, 
and  treat  him  the  same  after  blistering. 

THICKENINGS  AROUND  THE  FETLOCK. 

Causes. — This  is  generally  from  hard  work  and  from  sprains 
of  the  joint,  and  is  often  seen  in  livery  horses. 

Treatment. — Blister  the  same  and  use  the  same  treatment 
afterwards  as  is  given  for  knuckling,  only  blister  heavier. 

FRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  BELOW  THE  KNEE. 

Causes. — -Driving  a  horse  fast  along  a  very  hard  road  when 
"he  is  feeling  good,  will  sometimes  fracture  these  bones,  or  in 
jumping  a  fence,  or  in  running  away,  or  getting  the  leg  caught, 
or  anything  that  will  give  the  leg  a  blow  hard  enough  to  fracture 
the  bones. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  be  very  lame  and  will  hold  the  leg 
up  with  pain,  and  by  taking  hold  of  the  leg  and  twisting  it,  you 
will  hear  the  ends  of  the  fractured  bones  grate  togethei. 

Treatment. —  If  it  is  in  an  old  animal  destroy  him  at  once,  but 
if  it  is  a  colt  or  young  horse,  keep  him  quiet  in  slings,  after  you 
get  the  leg  straight,  then  apply  a  starch  bandage,  which  is  a 
bandage  wrung  out  of  starch,  put  a  good  lot  of  the  bandage  on  ,and 
hold  the  leg  straight  until  the  bandage  hardens,  after  that  it  will 
hold  the  broken  leg  straight  ;  leave  it  on  for  four  or  five  weeks 
.until  you  are  sure  the  bones  are  well  knit  together. 


218  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

BREAK  DOWN. 

This  is  where  the  tendons  and  ligaments  at  the  back  of  the 
fetlock  give  way  and  allows  the  fetlock  to  drop  down  almost  on  to 
the  ground.  This  is  mostly  seen  in  running  or  racing  horses 
where  they  are  put  to  very  severe  exertion. 

Treatment. — You  cannot  restore  the  fetlock  back  to  its 
natural  state,  but  blister  once  a  month  with  the  following: 

Powdered  Canthardies  or  Spanish  Flj' 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  rub  about  half  of  this    in    along    the    back    of   the 

fetlock,  allow  it  to  stand  for  three  days  and  lei  the  animal  run  out 

to  pasture.      Repeat  the  blister  until  you  get  him  pretty   well  over 

the  lameness.      If  he  is  very  lame,  better  keep  him   in  the  stable 

for  a  while,  and  bathe  with  warm  water  and   salt  twice  a  day  after 

bathing,  apply  the  white  liniment  until   he  is  pretty  well  over  the 

lameness,  then  blister  and  turn  him  out. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  STIFFLE  JOINT. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  cannot  bring  the  leg  forward,  and  it 
is  very  sore  when  you  press  around  the  joint. 

Treatment. — Bathe  twice  a  day  with  hot  water  and  vinegar, 
with  a  little  salt  in  it,  after  bathing  wipe  dry  and  apply  the  white 
liniment.      Keep  the  animal  quiet  to  give  the  sprained  parts  rest. 

DISLOCATION  OF  THE  PETELLA  OR  STIFFLE  OUT. 

This  is  where  the  petella  or  stiffle  bone  slips  out  of  the  pulley- 
like process  of  bone  in  front  of  the  stiffle  joint,  and  as  soon  as  this 
slips  out  it  locks  the  joint  so  the  animal  cannot  move  it. 

Causes. — It  generally  occurs  in  young  colts  or  young  horses 
that  are  worked  hard  and  get  down  thin  ;  it  comes  on  by  the 
animal  slipping  ofif  the  end  of  a  plank,  or  slipping  while  in  the  act 
of  getting  up. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  act  like  an  animal  with  its  foot 
nailed  to  the  floor  ;  it  cannot  get  it  forward  or  back.  When  you 
feel  around  the  joint  it  will  be  drawn  and  hard,  and  you  can  see 
the  joint  bone  is  out  too  far,  and  when  it  is  left  out  for  a  long 
time  the  joint  becomes  swollen. 

Treatment. — It  is  very  simple  to  treat  in  most  cases.  Have 
an  assistant  to  hold  the  animal's  head  and  another  to  pull  the 
afi'ected  leg  \ve\l  forward  while  you  place  your  hand  against  the 
joint  and  shove  it  in  toward  the  animal  as  hard  as  you  can,  until 
the  bone  goes  into  its  place,  after  which   the    animal  can  move  his 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  219 

leg-;  as  soon  as  it  is  in  walk  tiie  animal  on  a  level  piece  of  ground 
until  the  affected  parts  regain  their  streng"th.  If  it  slips  out  the 
second  time>  it  is  easier  put  in,  by  pressing"  it  the  saxiie  way. 
Bathe  the  parts  with  warm  water  and  salt,  after  bathing-  rub  dry 
and  apply  the  white  liniment  twice  a  day  until  the  joint  gets 
strong  and  the  soreness  is  all  out.  If  the  animal  is  in  poor  condition 
feed  well  and  try  to  get  his  strength  up. 

PARTIAL  DISLOCATION  OF  THE  STIFFLE. 

TWis  generally  occurs  in  young  foals  when  they  are  running 
over  a  rough  pasture  field,  or  in  colts  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
when  they  are  very  weak.  At  first,  when  noticed,  the  stiffle  will 
slip  out  and  the  leg  will  be  locked  for  a  hop  or  two,  then  it  .will 
slip  in  and  he  will  go  on  all  right  again.  The  stiflUe  keeps  slip- 
ping in  and  out  for  some  time  until  the  bones  gets  diseased  and 
weakened,  and  then  the  bone  gets  about  half  way  out  and  stays 
there.  After  this  the  joint  will  be  larger  than  natural  and  the 
animal  will  never  have  proper  action  again. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  it  is  noticed   is  the  time  to  treat  it. 

Place  the  animal    in   a  level   place   where   he  can   not    run  around 

much  and  feed  well  to  get  him   strong  as  soon  as  you  can  ;  apply 

a  light  blister  around  the  stifile  joint  made  of  the  following: 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1^  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  a  light  coat  of  the  blister  over  the  joint,  rub  in 

well  and  grease  the  third  day.      Let  it  go  for  a  month  then  blister 

again  and  repeat  this  every  month   until   the   stifile   is   good  and 

strong. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  THIGH  BONE. 

Causes. — Generally  from  a  kick  of  another  horse,  and, 
although  the  bone  itself  is  fractured,  the  coverings  will  hold  the 
bone  to  its  place  in  some  cases. 

Symptoms. — For  a  few  days  after  the  kick  the  animal  will 
seem  lame  and  you  may  not  suspect  a  fracture  of  the  bone,  but 
all  at  once  the  covering-  of  the  bone  gives  way  and  the  horse  will 
almost  fall,  and  when  you  come  to  examine  it  you  will  see  the  leg 
is  fractured,  for  you  can  swing  the  leg  around. 

Treatment. — When  the  bones  give  right  away,  destroy  the 
horse,  btft  if  the  horse  gets  a  severe  kick  and  is  a  little  lame  and 
you  are  afraid  of  fracture,  keep  the  animal  perfectly  quiet,  bathe 
with  warm  water  and  salt  and  after  bathing  apply  white  liniment. 


-220  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

to  g^et  soreness  and  inflammation  out.  By  doing"  this,  the  covering 
of  the  bone  is  so  strong"  that  it  will  hold  the  bones  together  until 
it  knits  tog"ether  and  he  g'ets  all  rig-ht. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  MUSCLES  ON  THE  FRONT  0?  THE  HIND  LEG,  BETWEEN 
THE  HOCK  AND  STIFFLE  JOINT. 

Causes. — Similar  to  other  sprains. 

Symptoms. — The  muscle  will  be  swollen  and  sore  in  moving 
the  animal  forward,  when  he  lifts  the  leg  and  goes  to  bring  it 
forward — instead  of  it  going  forward  it  will  fly  backwards  and  up- 
wards. The  muscle  that  is  affected  is  called  the  flexor  metatarsi 
muscle. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  very  quiet,  bathe  well  with  luke 
^varm  water  and  salt  three  times  a  day,  and  after  bathing  rub  dry 
and  apply  the  white  liniment. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  MUSCLE  ON  THE  INSIDE  OF  THE  HIND  LEG  RUNNING 
UP  FROM  THE  HOCK. 

Causes. — From  a  severe  sprain  of  the  leg  by  slipping  in 
■drawing. 

Symptoms. — There  is  thickening  of  the  muscles  above  the 
hock,  and  the  animal  will  be  stiff'  for  a  few  days,  the  stiff'ness  will 
«oon  disappear,  but  it  will  leave  a  thickening  if  not  treated. 

Treatmeflt.— Leave  the  animal  off  work  and  bathe  the   parts 

twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt,  if  in   the  winter,   but, 

if  in  summer  use  cold  water  and  salt  ;  after  bathing  rub  dry  and 

apply  the  white  liniment,  after  the  animal  gets  over  the  stiffness 

and  soreness,  blister  to  get  the  thickening  out,  using  the  following: 

Pulverized  Canthardies 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  about  half  the  amount,  rub  it  in  well  and  let  it 
go  for  three  days,  then  grease.  Repeat  the  blister  in  three  weeks 
and  repeat  it  every  three  weeks  until  the  thickening  is  all  gone 
•down.      Turn  the  animal  out  while  you  are  treating  it. 

BOG  SPAVIN. 

This  is  a  puffy  enlargement  partly  on  the  inside  and  partly  on 
the  front  of  the  hock  joint.  There  is  an  over  amount  of  joint  oil 
secreted  in  the  joint,  and  this  bulges  out  the  capsular  ligament  at 
this  part  of  the  joint. 

Causes. — -Horses  with  round,  meaty  joints  are  most  subjected 
to  this.  Keeping  young  colts  in  the  stable  and  feeding  them  high 
without  much  exercise,  or  fast  work  or  strain  of  the  joint  will 
cause  it. 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  221 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  puffy  enlargement  on  the  inside  and 
front  of  the  hock  joint  sometimes  larger  than  others,  by  feeling  it 
you  can  tell  it  is  full  of  oil.  If  it  comes  on  from  a  sprain  the 
animal  will  be  lame  for  a  few  days,  but  this  passes  off  and  leaves 
an  enlargement. 

Treatment. — If  the  animal  is  lame,  bathe  with  luke  warm 
water  and  salt  twice  a  day,  in  warm  weather  use  cold  water,  and 
in  cold  weather  use  warm  water,  after  bathing  rub  dry  and  apply 
the  white  liniment.  Keep  up  this  treatment  for  a  few  days  until 
he  is  over  the  soreness  and  lameness,  then  blister  with  the  follow- 
ing, and  turn  the  animal  out. 

Pulverized  Canthardies  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  there  will  be  enough  to  blister  two  or  three  times 
according  to  the  size  of  the  bog,  rub  in  well  and  in  three  days 
grease.  Repeat  the  blister  in  a  few  weeks  as  soon  as  the  skin  is 
nicely  healing  up.  It  needs  to  be  blistered  several  times  before 
you  get  it  all  down.  Often  where  there  is  a  bog  spavin  there  is  a 
thoroughpin  in  connection  with  it.  For  further  particulars  refer 
to  last  paragraph  under  the  heading  of  capped  hock. 

THOROUGHPIN. 

Causes. — Similar  to  those  given  for  bog  spavin  and  the  en- 
largements are  on  each  side  of  the  hock  near  the  back. 

Treatment. — The    treatment    is    the    same   as   given   for   bog 

spavin.      Never,  under  any  circumstance  open  either  a  bog  spavin 

or  a  thoroughpin,  for  if  you  do,  you  will  have  a  case  of  open  joint 

to  deal  with. 

CAPPED  HOCK. 

This  is  a  common  disease.  It  is  a  swelling  or  thickening  on 
the  cap  of  the  hock. 

Causes. — From  an  injury  of  some  kind,  such  as  from  kicking 
In  the  stable  and  striking  the  hock  against  the  stall,  or  some 
horses  will  do  it  in  laying  down. 

Symptoms.— Swelling  on  the  cap  of  the  hock,  which  is  gen- 
erally soft  but  not  sore  to  handle,  and  is  of  a  puffy  nature,  for  it  is 
mostly  oil  that  causes  the  enlargement  on  account  oi  the  little 
bursa  being  injured,  it  secretes  too  much  oil  and  that  is  what  causes 
the  enlargement.  It  does  not  lame  the  horse  or  interfere  with  his 
usefulness,  but  it  is  a  bad  eye-sore. 

Treatment. —  If  it  is  caused  from  kicking  the  stall,  place  the 
horse  so  he  cannot  strike   it.      If  being  treated   as   soon   as   it  is 


222  THE  VETERINAKY  SCIENCE. 

done,  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt,  rub  dry  and  ^pply  the 

white  Hniment.       Keep   this   treatment   up  until   the  soreness  and 

swelling  iy  all  out,  then  blister  the  thickening-  with  the  foll*aiving^ : 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly U  dranis. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1    ounce 

Mix  thoroughly  and  there  will  be  cnoug-h  to  blister  one  cap 

four   or   five    times  ;    blister    ligfht    and    blister    about    every    two 

weeks  ;    grease    the    thi'-d   day   after   each    blister.      In    case    you 

want   to   use   the   animal    bathe   the    parts    once  a   day  with   cold 

water  and   salt,    rub   dry  and    apply  the   acid    liniment  every  third 

day  after  bathing.      The  acid  liniment  is  also  good  when  used  in 

this  way  for   bog   spavins    and   thoroughpins   when   you    want   to 

work  the  horse. 

SPRAIN  OF  THE  HOCK  JOINT. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  very  lame  and  does  not  use  the 
hock  right  in  bringing  the  leg  forward.  There  is  swelling  and 
heat  around  the  joint. 

Treatment. — Bathe  well  with  hot  or  cold  water,  according  to 
the  season  of  the  year,  after  bathing,  each  time  wipe  dry  and 
apply  the  white  liniment;   bathe  twice  a  day  and  keep  the  horse  quiet. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  HOCK. 

Fractures  of  these  bones  do  not  occur  very  often. 

Symptoms. — The  anima;  vill  be  very  lame,  and  will 
hold  the  leg  up  with  pain  ;  the  joint  will  become  swollen  and  very 
sore  to  touch,  and  by  working  the  joint  you  can  hear  the  grating 
sound  made  by  the   broken  bones. 

Treatment. — if  it  is  a  very  bad  fracture  destroy  the  horse, 
but  if  not,  and  a  young  animal,  keep  him  quiet  and  bathe  well  with 
luke  warm  water  and  salt  three  or  four  times  a  day  after  bathing, 
rub  dry  and  apply  the  white  liniment,  this  is  to  keep  down  the  in- 
flammation and  swelling.  It  is  always  best  in  treating  any  kind 
of  a  fracture  to  keep  the  animal  in  slings,  but  do  not  sling 
him  entirely  off  his  feet,  just  enough  to  ease  the  weight  off  his 
legs.  After  a  few  weeks  the  bones  will  become  united,  but  there 
will  be  lameness  and  soreness  in  the  joint,  which  is  best  relieved 
by  blistering  with 

Pulverized  Canthardies  or  Spanish  Fly 1  dram. 

Biniodide  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 1  dram. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  there  will  be  enough  to  blister  twice,   rub 

a  little  in  on  each  side  of  the  joint,  rubbing  it  in   well,   grease  the 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  223 

third  day  and  let  it  alone  for  three  or  tour  weeks,   then  blister  as 

before.      Let  the  animal  have  a  good   rest  by  turning  him  out  to 

pasture. 

BLOOD  SPAVIN. 

This  is  an  enlargement  of  the  vein  which  runs  down  in  front 
of  the  hock  joint. 

Causes. — From  a  weakened  state  of  the  wall  of  the  vein. 

SymptOniS. — There  is  an  enlargement  of  the  vein,  but  the 
animal  is  not  lame,  nor  it  does  not  hurt  the  animal  for  any  kind  of 
work,  but  it  is  an  eye  sore. 

Treatment.— There  is  no  treatment  for  it. 

OPEN  JOINT. 

This  may  affect  any  of  the  joints  of  the  legs  or  body,  and 
from  some  injury  the  joint  becomes  punctured,  allowing  the  joint 
oil  to  leak  out. 

Causes. — Generally  from  a  kick,  or  prod  with  a  fork,  or  run- 
ning against  some  sharp  obstacle. 

Symptoms. — There  will  be  lameness  and  swelling  around  the 
injured  joint  and  leaking  from  the  hole,  of  an  oily  looking  sub- 
stance which  is  the  synovia  or  joint  oil.  If  the  leaking  is  not 
stopped,  inflammation  gets  into  the  joint  and  destroys  the  joint, 
and  if  the  horse  does  get  better,  it  leaves  him  with  a  stiff  joint. 

Trea^">ieilt. — The  larger  the  joint  the  more  troublesome  it  is 
to  treat,  and  the  more  danger  there  is  of  loosing  the  animal.  Do 
not  bathe  or  apply  any  liniment,  for  it  only  increases  the  flow  of 
the  joint  oil.  If  the  case  is  taken  in  time  by  applying  Monsell's  solu- 
tion of  iron  in  and  around  the  hole  every  couple  of  hours  with  a 
feather,  in  most  cases  it  will  completely  check  the  running  of  the  oil, 
and  the  animal  will  recover  all  right.  This  is  the  best  treatment 
known  for  open  joint.  In  cases  where  the  hole  is  very  large  and 
the  bone  injured,  it  is  best  to  destroy  the  animal.  Keep  the 
animal  quiet  and  feed  on  soft  food  with  plenty  of  boiled  flaxseed  in 
it  to  keep  the  bowels  open.  Sometimes  after  the  joint  seems 
healed  up  for  a  couple  of  weeks  it  will  break  out  again  ;  treat  this 
the  same  as  at  the  first  time  until  it  closes  the  hole  up.  After  the 
joint  is  healed  up  and  it  is  still  swollen,  bathe  with  cold  water  and 
salt  once  a  day,  and  bandage  for  a  couple  of  hours  after  bathing, 
and  every  third  day,  after  taking  off  the  bandage,  rub  the  joint 
well  with  acid  liniment. 


224  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

TUMORS  AND  CANCERS. 
They  are  very  rare  in   the   horse   but  are   fully   described   in> 

tumors  and  cancers  in  cattle. 

CURB. 

This  is  rupture  and  enlargement  of  the  ligament  that  runs 
down  the  back  part  of  the  hock  joint — this  ligament  receives  the 
name  of  calcaneocuboid  ligament. 

Causes. — Horses  that  have  crooked  or  curby  legs  are  more 
liable  to  this  than  horses  with  straight  legs.  It  generally  comes 
on  from  a  severe  sprain  by  slipping  while  drawing  or  driving,  or, 
from  rearing  up  or  backing  the  animal  forcibly  with  a  heavy  load 
or  in  deep  snow. 

Symptoms. — It  is  easily  detected  by  looking  at  the  hind  leg 
at  the  side,  you  will  see  the  enlargement  at  the  back  of  the  hock, 
or  by  running  the  hand  down  over  the  back  of  the  hock  joint  you 
can  feel  it.  When  the  curb  is  first  sprung  on,  the  animal  will  be 
lame,  and,  in  travelling,  he  will  step  long,  somewhat  similar  to 
ringbone  lameness.  After  the  animal  rests  a  day  or  two,  and  is 
driven,  at  first,  he  will  not  be  very  lame,  but  after  driving  a  while 
he  becomes  very  lame,  and  when  allowed  to  stand  he  rests  the  leg 
by  standing  on  his  toe  and  throwing  the  fetlock  forward.  After  a 
time  the  animal  will  get  over  the  lameness  if  not  treated,  but  the 
enlargement  will  remain. 

Treatment. — Get  the  soreness  and  lameness  out  of  the  liga- 
ment by  bathing  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt  twice  a  day,  if  in 
winter,  but  if  in  summer  cold  water  and  salt  ;  after  bathing  rub 
dry  and  apply  the  white  liniment.  When  the  soreness  and  swell- 
ing is  all  out  of  the  ligament,  blister  with  the  following  to  reduce 
the  thickening. 

Pulverized  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1   ounce. 

Mix,  and  there  will  be  enough   in   this   to  blister  three  times. 

Cut  the  hair  off  around  the  curb  and  rub  one-third  of  the  mixture 

in  well,  in  three  days  grease  and  let  it  go  for  a  couple  of  weeks, 

then  wash  the  leg  off  with  luke  warm   water  and  soap  and  blister 

again,  then    grease   as   before,    repeat   this   blistering  every  three 

weeks  until  the  enlargement  is  all  gone.      During  the  treatment 

do  not  work  the  animal,  but  if  you  must  work  him   keep  him  well. 

shod  so  he  will  not  slip. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  225 

RHEUMATISM. 

This  is  a  kind  of  chronic  inflammation  in  the  tendons  and 
ligaments  around  the  joints,  and  may  affect  any  joint  of  the  body. 

Causes. —  l^  ^aen  follows  weakening-  diseases  whert  /he 
animal  is  allowed^  to  run  out  and  lay  on  the  cold,  damp  ground  or 
from  bad  blood,  when  there  is  too  much  acid  in  it. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  slight  soreness,  swelling  and  lame- 
ness in  the  joints,  changing  from  one  joint  to  the  other,  and  is 
noticed  to  be  worse  in  damp  weather. 

Treatment. — Rub  the  affected  joints  well  two  or  three  times  a 

day  with  white  liniment  ;  also  give  the  following  : 

Salicylic  Acid ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i      " 

Common  Soda ^      " 

Mix  thoroughly  and   give  a   large   teaspoonful    three  times  a 

day.     This  medicine  acts  like  a  charm  in  rheumatism. 


CHAPTER    XXIV. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  FEET. 

ACUTE  FOUNDER  (LAMINITIS). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  sensitive  part  of  the  foot,  or  what 
is  commonly  called  the  quick  of  the  foot. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  very  easily  brought  on  by  driving  or 
working  a  horse  hard  and  then  giving  him  a  cold  drink  of  water, 
or  allowing  him  to  stand  in  a  draft  while  he  is  warm.  This 
checks  the  perspiration  suddenly  and  drives  the  blood  to  the  feel, 
which  sets  up  inflammation  in  them.  Sometimes  by  giving  an 
animal  a  small  feed  of  wheat  it  will  first  cause  acute  indigestion, 
and  then  turn  to  a  bad  case  of  founder.  It  may  aff'ect  mares  a 
few  days  after  foaling,  especially  if  they  do  not  have  their  natural 
flow  of  milk,  or  if  by  catching  cold  after  foaling  it  should  settle  in 
their  feet.  Hard  driving  and  bad  shoeing  will  also  cause  it. 
Lung  troubles  sometimes  terminate  in  founder. 

Symptoms. — Founder  generally  affect  the  front  feet,  but  may 
afi"ect  the  hind  feet  and  the  symptoms  are  plain.  The  pulse  beats 
strong  and  runs  up  to  from  50  to  75  beats  per  minute.  The 
animal  sweats  freely  and  breathes  heavy  and  quick  ;  he  generally 
stands  on  his  feet  for  a  few  days  at  the  first  of  the  disease  ;  he 
5tands  in  a  peculiar  way  ;   his  front  feet  v/ill   be  stretched  out  as 


—15— 


226  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

far  as  he  can  put  them,  and  standing  on  the  heels  trying  to  relieve 
the  feet,  while  he  has  the  hind  feet  drawn  forward  and  well  under 
him  to  throw  as  much  weight  as  he  can  on  his  hind  legs  to  relieve 
the  front  feet  His  feet  are  very  hot  and  feverish,  and  the  horse 
can  hardly  move  forwards  or  backwards.  On  account  of  the  in- 
flammation being  inside  the  hard  resisting  hoof  where  there  is  no 
room  for  swelling  ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  painful  diseases  that  the 
horse  is  liable  to,  and  if  he  does  not  get  relief  in  a  few  days  the 
quick  of  the  foot  becomes  destroyed,  and  the  bone  will  get  loose 
from  the  inside  of  the  wall  and  drop  down  on  the  sole,  and  when 
it  does  it  will  cause  the  sole  to  become  bulged  out  in  an  unnatural 
way,  and  then  it  is  known  as  a  club  (pumiced)  foot. 
Treatment. — Give  a  dose  of  physic  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 8  to  10  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  '* 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.  If 
he  is  in  high  condition  take  half  a  pail  of  blood  away  from  him, 
then  take  off  his  shoes  and  place  his  front  feet  in  a  tub  and  bathe 
them  for  two  or  three  hours  at  a  time  with  luke  warm  water — hot 
as  you  can  bear  your  hand  in  it — two  or  three  times  a  day  ;  after 
each  bath  rub  dry  and  apply  white  liniment  around  the  feet  and 
legs,  poultice  the  feet  with  hot  linseed  meal  and  bran  and  leave 
the  poultice  on  till  you  are  ready  to  bathe  again,  repeat  this  treat- 
ment until  the  inflammation  is  checked  ;  give  the  animal  plenty  of 
cold  water  to  drink — a  little  at  a  time — and  if  he  wants  to  eat  give 
soft  feed  and  the  following  drench  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Water 1  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a  day,  continuing  the 
drenches  until  the  animal  gets  relief.  Clothe  the  body  well  and 
have  the  stall  well  bedded  to  induce  him  to  lie  down  for  it  will  help 
to  relieve  his  feet.  The  after  treatment  is,  blister  with  the  follow- 
ing and  turn  him  out  to  pasture  : 

Pulverised  Caneharides  or  Spanish  Fly Ij^  drams. 

Lard  or  Vaseline 1     ounce. 

M'sx  well  and  apply  all  of  it  around  the  tops  of  both  the  feet, 

rub  in  well   and    grease   three   days    after,    then   turn    him   out    to 

pasture. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  227 

SORE  FEET  (CHRONIC  FOUNDER). 

This  is  a  soreness  or  a  chronic  inflammation  of  the  feet. 

Causes. — From  hard  work,  especially  driving  on  hard  roads. 
Horses  with  small  or  flat  feet  are  more  subject  to  this  than  other 
horses,  but  any  of  them  are  liable  to  it ;  bad  shoeing-,  letting-  the 
shoe  rest  too  much  on  the  sole  will  cause  it  ;  standing  on  a  dry 
floor  and  the  feet  becoming-  dry,  hard  and  contracted. 

Symptoms. — it  generally  affects  the  front  feet ;  they  become 
hot,  dry  and  very  hard,  and,  in  some  cases,  become  contracted  at 
the  heels,  which  is  caused  from  the  fever  and  soreness  in  the  foot. 
The  horse  has  a  peculiar  stumbling  action,  and  he  tries  to  step  on 
the  heels  first ;  if  you  press  around  the  feet  with  a  pincers  or  your 
hands  the  animal  will  flinch.  After  a  time,  from  trying  to  favor 
his  feet,  the  muscles  of  the  chest  will  gradually  waste  away  and 
leave  the  chest  hollow.  This  must  not  mislead  you  and  make  you 
think  there  is  anything  wrong  with  the  chest.  Sometimes  when 
the  chest  falls  away  some  call  it  chest  founder,  but  this  is  a  mis- 
taken idea,  for  there  is  no  such  thing  as  chest  founder,  the  whole 
trouble  arises  in  the  feet. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  not  very  satisfactory  in  some 

■cases.      If  it  a  valuable  animal   soak   the   feet  well   in  warm  water 

and  salt,  in  a  tub  containing  six  or   eight  inches  of  water  ;    leave 

the  feet  in  the  water  two   or  three   hours   at  a  time,  twice  a  day  ; 

every  night  put  on  a  hot  poultice  of  half  linseed  and  bran,  leave  it 

on  all  night.      After  the  soreness  is   pretty  well   out  blister  around 

the  top  of  the  hoof  with  the  following  : 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1  dram. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  all  of  it  around  the  tops  of  both  front  feet  and 
turn  the  horse  out  to  pasture  for  a  long  while,  grease  the  blister 
the  third  day.  After  the  horse  is  all  right  and  he  is  brought  in  to 
work  again  let  him  stand  on  a  ground  floor,  for  an  animal  once 
aff"ected  with  this  disease  is  more  liable  to  be  aff"ected  again.  Be 
careful  in  shoeing  ;  we  recommend  the  bar  shoe.  If  it  is  a  horse 
you  want  to  keep  shod,  and  he  is  not  of  much  value,  keep  him 
on  a  ground  floor  and  pack  the  feet  every  night  with  cow  manure, 
blue  clay,  or  anything  that  will  keep  the  moisture  in  the  foot,  and 
in  very  bad  cases  by  blistering  and  turning  out  to  pasture  for  a 
while  will  help  it. 


228  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CLUB  (PUMICED)  FOOT. 
Vhis  is  when  the  foot  bone  becomes  separated  from  the 
inside  of  the  walls  of  the  foot  and  drops  down  on  the  sole  and  frog 
of  the  foot  This  disease  is  generally  the  result  of  acute  founder 
when  it  is  allowed  to  run  on  too  long.  This  disease  spoils  a  horse 
for  road  work,  but  he  may  be  fixed  up  so  he  will  work  pretty  well 
on  the  farm  at  slow  work  by  blistering  him  around  the  tops  of  the 
hoofs,  same  as  is  done  for  chronic  founder,  and  turn  him  out  for 
some  time  and  shoe  with  a  heavy  shoe  well  corked  up,  and  have  it 
well  beveled  out  so  it  will  not  bear  any  weight  on  the  sole  of  the 
foot  ;  have  the  whole  weight  to  come  on  the  wall,  also  have  the 
shoes  set  regular  about  once  a  month. 

CORNS. 

Corns  are  generally  found  affecting  the  front  feet,  but  may  be 
found  in  the  hind  feet,  and  are  also  more  frequently  found  on  the 
inside  heel  of  the  front  foot,  but  may  be  found  in  either  or  both 
heels. 

Causes. — Horses  with  weak,  flat  heels  are  more  subject  to  it, 
and  it  is  generally  brought  on  from  bad  shoeing,  and  by  the  shoe 
resting  too  heavy  on  the  heel  and  bruising  the  horn  between  the 
bar  and  quarter  of  the  wall  ;  driving  on  hard  roads  has  a  tendency 
to  bring  on  corns  ;   steady  driving  will  also  cause  them. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  is  more  or  less  lame  in  most  cases, 
and  is  more  so  just  after  he  bruises  it.  When  standing, 
if  it  is  in  one  foot,  he  will  be  noticed  to  point  that  foot  out,  if  in 
both  feet,  he  will  first  point  one  out  and  then  the  other,  changing 
from  one  to  the  other  every  little  while.  The  animal  will  go 
pretty  well  on  soft  ground,  but  will  be  noticed  to  get  lame  as 
soon  as  he  strikes  a  hard  piece  of  road.  On  raising  the  foot  and 
tapping  or  pressing  on  the  aff'ected  quarter,  he  will  flinch.  In 
taking  the  shoe  off  and  paring  down  the  quarter  there  will  be  a 
red  spot  in  the  corner  of  the  sole.  In  case  the  corn  becomes 
bruised  and  festers,  the  symptoms  will  be  more  severe,  he  will 
hold  up  the  foot  and  in  walking  he  will  step  long,  and  will  step  on 
the  toe,  then  hop  on  the  other  foot  to  get  along.  The  affected 
quarter  will  be  hot  and  tender  when  pressed  on,  and  if  he  does  not 
soon  get  relief  it  will  fester  and  break  out  at  the  top  of  the  hoof. 

Treatment. — in  many  cases  of  corns  it  is  not  necessary  to  lay 
the  animal  off",  but  shoe  him  so  the  shoe  will  not  press  on  the 
heels  and  apply  a  poultice  of  hot  linseed  and  bran  to  the  foot  for  a 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  229 

few  nig"hts.      A  bar    shoe    is    a    very    good    one    to    put  on,  for  it 

throws  the  weig"ht  on  the  frog"  and  reUeves  the  heels  and  quarter. 

In  case  it  is  a  festering  corn  remove   the   shoe  and  pare  down  into 

the  corn  until  you  strike   the    matter,  allow  it   to    escape,  this  will 

give  him  relief,  then    poultice  as   above   mentioned    and  allow  the 

animal  to  rest  a  few  days,  and  when   you    are    going    to    use  him 

again  shoe  him  with   a   bar   shoe,    and   see    that   the  shoes  do  not 

press  on  his   heels    and   quarters,    and    if  the   soreness   continues, 

blister  around  the   aflFected   quarter  with   the    same   blister  that  is 

used  for   chronic   founder.      The   after  treatment   is   to   keep   the 

animal  shod  regular  and  see  that  the  shoes  do  not  press  too  much 

on  the  heels. 

THRUSH  IN  THE  FEET. 

This  is  a  disease  that  affects  the  frog  of  the  foot,  and  is 
mostly  seen  in  the  hind  feet,  but  often  affects  the  front  feet. 

Causes. — From  standing  in  wet  and  filth,  or  anything  that 
will  rot  the  frog.  Heavy  horses  are  more  subject  to  this  disease 
than  light  horses. 

Symptoms. — They  are  very  plain,  the  animal  may  be  just  a 
little  lame,  but  if  he  steps  on  anything  very  hard  he  will  flinch, 
and  by  examining  the  foot  you  will  find  that  the  centre  of  the  frog 
is  eaten  out  by  the  disease,  and  there  is  a  discharge  that  comes 
from  it  which  has  a  very  bad  smell. 

Treatment. — Keep  him  out  of  the  wet  and  dirt,  and  keep  the 
stable  very  clean.  Cut  off  the  dead  horn  from  around  the  frog 
and  wash  out  the  diseased  part  of  the  frog  with  warm  water  and  a 
little  soap,  after  it  is  cleaned  well  poultice  with  a  hot  poultice  of 
half  linseed  meal  and  bran  for  a  few  days  until  the  foot  is  nice  and 
soft,  after  this  clean  the  poultice  out  of  the  frog  and  dust  in  some 
dry  calomel  about  twice  a  week  until  it  is  better;  another  cheap 
remedy  is  to  pack  the  foot  full  ot  common  salt  a  couple  of  times  a 
week;  another  is  to  pour  a  few  drops  of  butter  of  antimony  into  the 
diseased  foot  once  a  week.  Do  this  until  all  the  discharge  and 
smell  is  gone  from  the  frog,  after  that  leave  the  frog  alone  until  it 
goes  down  itself. 

NAILS  IN  THE  FEET  (PUNCTURES). 

This  is  a  very  common  thing,  especially  in  large  cities.  This 
is  where  a  horse  steps  on  a  nail  and  it  runs  in  to  the  bottom  of  his 
foot.  When  a  horse  is  lame  always  examine  the  bottom  of  the 
foot  to  see  that  there  is  no  nail  or  anything  In  it. 


230  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — If  it  is  in  the  hind  foot  the  animal  knuckles  over 
and  becomes  lame  very  suddenly.  If  in  the  front  foot  he  points  it 
out  whilft  standing,  and  when  he  steps  on  it  will  put  as  little 
weight  on  it  as  possible  and  hop  on  the  sound  leg.  If  you  ex- 
amine the  foot  you  may  find  the  nail  itself;  if  not,  by  tapping- 
around  the  foot  with  a  small  hammer  you  will  find  where  the 
tender  spot  is,  then  pare  around  it  and  you  will  find  a  small,  black 
spot  where  the  nail  went  in. 

Treatment. — If  you  find  the  nail  pull  it  out  and  pare  out  the 
hole  where  the  nail  went  in  almost  down  to  the  quick,  after  this- 
drop  in  a  few  drops  of  butter  of  antimony,  which  will  kill  any- 
poison  or  rust  that  may  be  left  in.  After  this  keep  the  animal 
quiet  and  apply  a  hot  poultice  of  half  linseed  and  bran  for  a  few 
days  until  he  is  entirely  over  the  lameness  before  you  work  him. 
The  danger  of  these  punctures  are  that  they  may  start  to  fester, 
which  is  a  very  painful  thing,  and  also  very  dangerous.  If  it 
starts  to  fester,  the  animal  will  hold  the  foot  up  with  pain  ;  it  will 
be  swollen  around  the  top  and  very  hot.  Cut  down  well  into  the 
hole  and  allow  the  matter  to  escape  ;  bathe  with  hot  water  and 
poultice  to  relieve  the  pain  and  draw  all  the  matter  out.  In  cases 
where  you  cut  a  large  hole  and  the  quick  bulges  out,  burn  it  with 
butter  of  antimony  once  a  day.  After  the  animal  is  able  to  walk 
nicely  blister  the  foot  around  the  top  of  the  hoof  with  the  same 
blister  used  in  chronic  founder  and  turn  him  out  to  pasture  till  the- 
soreness  is  all  out. 

PRICKS  IN  THE  FOOT. 

These  are  injuries  which  are  caused  in  shoeing  by  driving 
nails  too  close  to  the  quick. 

Symptoms. — At  the  time  of  driving  the  nail  the  horse  will  give 
a  sudden  jerk,  showing  that  the  nail  struck  the  quick. 

Treatment. — Remove  the  shoe  and  keep  the  horse  quiet  for  a 
day  or  two  ;  if  he  is  lame  poultice  the  foot  with  hot  linseed.  It  he 
continues  to  be  lame,  pare  around  the  nail  hole  and  give  it  the 
same  treatment  that  is  given  for  punctures  of  other  nails.  In  any 
of  these  cases,  if  you  want  to  work  the  animal  when  he  is  getting 
better,  plug  the  hole  with  tar  and  cotton  batting  and  put  a  leather 
under  the  shoe  to  keep  the  dirt  out. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  231 

QUARTER  C3ACK. 

This  receives  its  name  on  account  of  the  part  of  the  foot  it 
affects  ;  it  generally  affects  the  front  feet,  and  is  more  often  seen 
to  affect  the  inside  quarter  of  the  foot. 

Causes. — Certain  breeds  of  animals  are  more  subject  to  this 
than  others,  especially  if  the  feet  are  of  a  brittle  nature,  and  it  is 
often  seen  in  road  horses,  more  especially  if  they  have  hig-h  knee 
action  and  strike  the  ground  heavy. 

Symptoms. — At  first  a  small  crack  appears  in  the  quarter  of 
the  foot  just  below  the  hair  ;  if  the  animal  is  kept  to  work  he  will 
get  lame,  the  crack  will  get  larger  and  longer,  and  will  some- 
times bleed.  If  the  animal  is  kept  working,  it  will  sometimes 
fester  on  account  of  the  irritation  being  kept  up.  • 

Treatment. — Remove  the  shoe,    pare   out   the   bottom    of  the 

affected  quarter  so  the  shoe  will  not  rest  upon  it,  then  shoe  with  a 

bar  shoe;  as  well  as  this,  pare  out  the  crack  all  the  way  down  on 

each  side — almost  to  the  quick — from  the  top  to  the  bottom  of  it 

so  it  will  not  be  pressing  on  itself.      If  the  animal  is  a  little  lame 

poultice  the  foot  for  a  few  days  until  the  soreness  is  all  out.     After 

this  apply  a  little  of  the  same  blister  that  is  used  for  chronic  founder 

just  above  the  crack  in  the  hair.      This  is  to  stimulate  the  growth 

of   the   horn    and    make    the    hoof   grow    and   draw  out    all    the 

soreness. 

CAULKS. 

This  is  common  in  the  fall  and  spring  when  horses  are  sharp 
shod. 

Causes. — From  the  horse  or  his  mate  stepping  on  his  foot  and 
cutting  around  the  top  of  the  hoof. 

Treatment. — If  it  bleeds  freely  apply  Monsell's  solution  of 
iron,  and  if  you  have  not  this  apply  a  pad  of  cotton  batting  and 
bandage  tightly  over  it,  leave  it  on  for  twenty-four  hours.  The 
danger  in  caulks  is  that  sometimes  hair  and  dirt  gets  worked 
down  into  the  caulk  and  it  begins  to  fester  and  works  down  into 
the  foot.  In  all  cases  where  the  animal  shows  any  signs  of  lame- 
ness, pare  out  the  hoof  around  the  caulk  to  the  bottom  of  i-t,  then 
poultice  for  a  few  days,  change  the  poultice  twice  a  day  fo  keep  it 
hot  and  each  time  the  poultice  is  changed,  pour  a  little  hot  green 
salve  into  it. 


232  TIIR  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

OVERREACH. 

This  g-enerally  occurs  in  fast  horses  where  they  are  speeded 
without  having-  on  quarter  boots,  by  stepping  too  far  with  their 
hind  foot  and  catching'  the  heel  of  the  front  foot. 

Treatment. — Treat  the  same  as  a  lacerated  wound,  and  in  all 
cases  where  you  are  speeding  fast  horses,  wear  boots  on  them  to 
prevent  them  from  catching  their  quarters. 

BRUISES  OF  THE  SOLE  OF  THE  FOOT. 

Causes. — From  stepping  on  a  stone  or  any  hard  substance  or 
from  the  shoe  pressing  on  the  sole. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  in  travelling  steps  very  long  on  the 
affected  foot,  and  by  tapping  the  sole  of  the  foot  with  a  hammer 
he  will  flinch  when  the  bruised  spot  is  struck.  If  the  bruise  is 
allowed  to  run  on  without  being  treated  it  will  commence  to  fester 
and  the  symptoms  will  be  more  severe  ;  the  horse  will  hardly  be 
able  to  put  his  foot  to  the  ground,  and  it  will  be  hot  and  swollen 
around  the  top. 

Treatment.— Remove  the  shoe  and  find  the  affected  spot  by 
tapping  on  the  sole  with  a  hammer,  and  if  you  do  not  think  it  is 
festering  poultice  with  a  hot  poultice  of  half  linseed  meal  and 
bran  ;  change  the  poultice  twice  a  day  to  keep  it  hot  until  the 
soreness  is  all  out,  but  if  you  think  it  is  festering  pare  a  small 
hole  in  through  the  sole  to  the  festering  part,  to  allow  the  matter 
to  escape,  after  this  poultice  as  above  mentioned  until  the  animal 
is  better.  Each  time,  when  changing  the  poultice,  melt  a  little 
green  salve  and  dop  it  into  the  hole  you  cut. 

CUTS  OF  ANY  KIND  AROUND  THE  FEET. 
Refer  to  the  treatment  of  wounds. 

FALSE  QUARTER. 
Causes. — -From  a  cut  around  the  top  of  the  hoof  which  some- 
times causes  a  false  growth   of  horn,    in    the   form   of  a  ridge,  to 
grow  down  the  hoof  as  it  grows  out. 

Treatment. — File  the  ridge  down  level  with  the  wall  of  the 
foot  with  a  rasp. 

COFFIN  JOINT  LAMENESS  (NAVICULAR  DISEASE). 

This  is  getting  to  be  a  very  common  disease,  and  is  seen 
mostly  in  driving  horses. 

Causes. — From  hard  and  fast  work.  Animals  with  short, 
upright  pastern  joints,  short,  stubby  action,  or   horses  with    high 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  233 

pounding  action  are  more  often  affected  with  this  disease;  allow- 
ing- the  toes  to  g-row  too  long  and  cutting  down  the  heels  when 
shoeing  them  will  cause  it. 

Symptoms.— There  is  usually  more  or  less  lameness  ;  in  some 
cases  it  comes  on  sudden  and  severe,  while  in  others  it  gradually 
comes  on  for  weeks,  and  sometimes  for  months,  before  it  is  much 
noticed.  While  standing  the  horse  will  point  the  feet  out,  and  in 
some  cases  this  is  the  first  symptom  that  will  be  noticed.  If  both 
feet  are  affected  the  horse  suffers  pain  and  while  standing  will 
first  throw  the  weight  on  one  foot  and  then  on  the  other.  In 
travelling  he  has  what  is  known  as  a  groggy  action.  Another 
well  marked  symptom  is  a  wasting  of  the  muscles  of  the  chest. 
On  examining  the  feet  the  heels  will  be  found  to  be  contracted 
and  hard,  and  by  raising  the  foot  up  and  pressing  with  your 
thumb  on  the  back  part  of  the  heel  the  horse  will  flinch.  If  you 
notice  the  shoe  the  horse  has  been  wearing  it  will  be  found  to  be 
w^orn  most  at  the  toe. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  bad  case  of  long  standing  it  is  incurable, 
but  if  taken  in  time,  by  resting  the  horse  and  by  bathing  the  feet 
twice  a  day  for  an  hour  or  two  at  a  time  (if  in  the  winter  bathe 
with  warm  water,  if  in  summer  use  cold  water).  After  bathing 
apply  white  liniment  around  the  top  of  the  hoof  and  every  night 
poultice  the  foot  with  hot  linseed  meal  and  bran,  half  and  half. 
Continue  this  treatment  until  he  is  pretty  well  over  the  lameness, 
then  blister  the  foot  same  as  in  chronic  founder  and  let  him  out  to 
pasture.  If  it  is  of  long  standing  and  you  want  to  use  the  horse, 
have  him  stand  on  a  ground  floor  and  pack  his  feet  every  night 
with  cow  manure  or  blue  clay  or  anything  that  has  a  tendency  to 
soften  the  foot.  Shoe  him  with  high  heeled  shoes  and  have  it  low 
in  front.  In  some  cases  neurotomy  is  performed,  that  is,  where 
the  operation  of  nerving  the  foot  is  performed,  this  is  done  with  a 
view  of  taking  the  feeling  away  from  the  foot.  '  The  way  this  is 
performed  is  by  throwing  the  animal  and  securing  him,  then  make 
a  cut  along  the  inside  and  the  outside  of  the  leg  between  the  knee 
and  fetlock  about  half  ways,  make  the  cut  about  two  inches  long 
lengthwise  in  the  groove  between  the  shin  bone  and  the  back 
tendons,  in  this  groove  you  will  find  the  nerve,  artery  and  vein 
which  runs  down  the  leg,  then  cut  about  an  inch  out  of  the  nerve 
so  it  will  not  unite  together  again,  do  this  on  both  sides  of  the 
affected  leg  or  legs,  then  stitch   the  cut  up,  bandage   the  leg  and 


234  THE  VETERINAKY  SCIENCE. 

treat  <*s  a  common  wound,  bathe  and  apply  the  white  lotion  twice 
a  day^  After  this  is  performed  the  horse  will  get  up  and  go  off  as 
though  there  was  nothing  wrong,  but  after  this  operation  be  care- 
ful in  shoeing  him  and  examine  the  foot  every  night,  for  if 
anything  went  wrong  with  the  feet  they  would  rot  off  before  the 
animal  would  show  any  lameness.  This  operation  at  one  time 
was  performed  to  a  great  extent,  but  is  not  so  much  done  now. 
In  examining  a  horse  if  you  think  that  he  has  been  nerved  in  this 
way,  prick  him  with  a  pin  around  the  feet  and  if  he  has  been 
operated  on  he  will  not  feel  anything,  but  if  he  has  not  he  will 
show  signs  of  feeling. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

MISCELLANEOUS  INFORMATION. 

Horses  that  are  wide  between  the  eyes  with  a  nice  tapering 
muzzle  and  a  nice  bright  eye  shows  a  good  disposition  and  a  kind 
horse.  Nice  large  ears,  and  in  travelling  they  should  be  carried 
forward,  this  also  is  a  good  indication.  The  neck  should  be  good 
and  long  and  bowed  upwards,  and  well  cut  out  under  the  jaws. 
The  shoulders  should  be  long  and  well  slanted  forwards  with  nice 
high  withers,  also  a  short  strong  back  with  long  round  well 
developed  hips  and  rump.  Also  a  good  round  deep  chest  with  a 
tidy  belly  not  too  small;  it  is  also  a  good  point  to  have  him  well 
ribbed  up,  that  is,  not  to  have  too  much  space  between  the  last 
rib  and  the  hip  bones;  also  look  to  the  legs  that  the  bone  is  flat 
and  clean  with  good  shaped  feet. 

HOW  TO  EXAMINE  FOR  SOUNDNESS. 

Give  the  horse  a  quick  trot  or  gallop  to  see  that  he  is  not 
lame,  and  as  soon  as  he  stops  put  your  ear  to  his  nose  to  hear  that 
his  wind  is  not  affected.  Then  examine  his  nostrils  and  mouth, 
at  the  same  time  look  to  see  the  age  of  the  animal,  which  is  told 
by  his  teeth ;  then  look  closely  into  the  eyes  to  see  that  there  is 
nothing  wrong  with  them,  pass  the  hand  up  around  his  ears  and 
the  pole  of  the  head  to  see  that  they  are  all  right;  then  examine 
one  side  of  him  first  by  starting  at  the  neck,  running  the  hand  over 
it  to  the  withers,  then  over  the  shoulder,  down  the  outside  and  in- 
side of  the  front  leg,  and  watch  carefully  for  splints,  sidebones, 
ringbones  and  sucli  like  ;  then  raise  the  foot  and  see  if  it  is  a  welt 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  235 

formed  one,  with  good,  strong-  heels  ;  look  back  along  the  belly 
for  warts  and  runnuig  sores  caused  from  castration,  then  pass 
the  hand  down  the  back  of  the  hips  and  see  that  the  hip  bones 
are  both  the  same  size,  then  follow  the  hind  leg  over  the  hock  and 
hind  fetlock  and  look  for  spavins,  windgalls,  curbs,  splints,  side- 
bones  and  ringbones,  also  look  at  the  stiffles  and  see  that  they  are 
all  right  ;  examine  the  foot  as  you  did  in  the  front,  then  examine 
the  other  side  same  as  side  mentioned  ;  after  this  stand  back  and 
take  a  look  at  him  to  see  how  he  stands  on  his  legs,  and,  also, 
how  he  holds  his  head  and  neck;  notice  if  he  stands  with  his  front 
feet  well  under  him,  for  this  is  a  good  sign  ;  at  the  same  time  see 
if  he  is  inclined  to  be  weak  in  the  knees  and  fetlocks.  Beware 
of  calf-kneed  horses  for  they  are  always  stumblers  ;  see  that  he 
stands  neither  too  straight  nor  too  crooked  on  his  hind  legs. 
After  this  take  a  walk  around  to  the  front  and  see  that  he  has  a 
well  formed  breast,  and  that  he  does  not  toe  in  nor  toe  out  too 
much;  then  make  an  effort  as  if  you  were  going  to  strike  him  with 
a  stick  or  whip  over  the  side,  if  he  grunts  examine  close  to  see 
that  he  is  not  a  roarer,  then  give  him  another  good,  sharp  trot  or 
gallop  to  see  that  he  carries  his  front  and  hind  legs  nice  and 
straight  and  that  he  has  good  action,  also  notice  whether  he  car- 
ries his  tail  straight  or  not.  Step  up  quick  and  place  your  ear  to 
his  nostril  to  see  if  he  makes  any  noise,  and  be  sure  that  he  is  all 
right  in  his  wind.  To  make  sure  that  the  horse  is  all  right  put 
him  in  a  stable  for  an  hour  or  two,  giving  him  a  pail  of  water  and 
a  feed,  for  in  some  cases  of  lameness  the  animal  will  not  show  it 
until  he  has  stood  for  a  while.  After  this  go  into  the  stall  and 
take  the  horse  out  yourself,  watching  how  he  steps  over  and  how 
he  backs  out  of  the  stall  for  fear  of  string  halt  and  corea.  After 
this  trot  him  again  and  test  him  for  lameness  and  soundness  in 
his  wind. 

HOW  TO  TELL  A  HORSE'S  AGE  BY  HIS  TEETH. 

Commencing  at  the  time  the  colt  is  foaled:  At  nine  days  old 
he  gets  two  centre  nippers,  or  front  teeth,  two  above  and  two  be- 
low ;  at  nine  weeks  old  he  gets  four  more  front  teeth,  one  on  each 
side  of  the  other  two  pairs,  these  are  called  the  lateral  teeth  ;  at 
nine  months  old  he  gets  four  more  front  teeth,  called  the  corner 
teeth,  one  on  each  side  of  the  two  pair  below,  and  one  on  each 
side  of  the  two  pair  above.  So,  at  nine  months  old,  the  colt  has- 
a  full  mouth   of  milk,  or   temporary    front  teeth.      At   the    age  of 


236  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

two  years  you  have  to  judge  from  the  general  appearance  of  the 
colt  as  to  his  age,  as  there  is  no  change  in  the  front  teeth.  At 
three  years  old  he  sheds  the  four  centre  nippers  or  front  teeth,  two 
above  and  two  below,  and  gets  in  permanent  ones  ;  at  four  years 
old  he  sheds  the  four  lateral  teeth,  two  above  and  two  below,  and 
g-ets  in  permanent  teeth  in  their  places  ;  at  five  years  old  he  sheds 
the  four  corner,  or  outside  teeth,  and  gets  in  permanent  ones.  So, 
at  this  age,  the  horse  has  a  full  mouth  of  permanent  front  teeth. 

Each  one  of  the  front  teeth  has  a  black  ring  on  it  at  five  years 
old  ;  at  six  years  old  the  rings  on  the  two  centre  teeth  in  the 
bottom  row  disappears  and  only  a  black  spot  is  left  on  each  ;  at 
seven  years  old  the  rings  on  the  lateral  teeth,  or  the  ones  next  to 
the  centre  in  the  lower  row,  disappears  and  only  a  black  spot  is 
left  on  each  tooth  ;  at  eight  years  old  the  rings  on  the  corner 
teeth  of  the  lower  row  disappears  and  only  a  black  spot  is  left  on 
each  tooth  ;  at  nine  years  old  the  rings  on  the  two  centre  front 
teeth  on  the  upper  row  disappears  and  a  black  spot  remains  on 
each  tooth ;  at  ten  years  of  age  the  rings  on  the  lateral  teeth,  or 
the  ones  next  to  the  centre  pair  in  the  upper  row,  disappears  and  a 
black  spot  is  left  on  each  tooth  ;  at  eleven  years  old  the  rings  on 
the  corner  teeth  of  the  upper  jaw  disappears  and  a  black  spot  is 
left  on  each  tooth.  At  twelve  years  old  we  come  again  to  the 
bottom  row,  and  looking  at  the  front  of  the  teeth  the  two  centre 
ones  will  be  found  to  be  much  narrower  and  longer  than  the  others  ; 
at  thirteen  years  the  lateral,  or  teeth  next  to  the  centre  pair — one 
on  each  side — become  much  longer  and  narrower  ;  at  fourteen 
years  old  the  corner  teeth  in  the  lower  row  become  much  longer 
and  narrower  ;  at  fifteen  years  old  the  two  centre  teeth  on  the 
upper  row  become  long  and  narrow  ;  at  sixteen  years  old  the 
lateral  teeth  on  the  upper  row  become  long  and  narrow  ;  at  seven- 
teen years  old  the  corner  teeth  of  the  upper  row  become  longer  and 
narrower.  At  eighteen  years  of  age  we  look  again  to  the  bottom 
row  and  the  two  centre  teeth  will  be  much  shorter  than  the  others; 
at  nineteen  years  old  the  lateral  teeth  of  the  bottom  row  have  be- 
come much  shorter  ;  at  twenty  years  old  the  corner  teeth  have  be- 
come much  shorter  ;  at  twenty-one  years  of  age  look  again  to  the 
teeth  in  the  upper  row  and  the  two  centre  ones  will  be  much 
shorter  ;  at  twenty-two  years  old  the  lateral  teeth  will  be  shorter, 
and  at  twenty-three  years  old  the  corner  teeth  of  the  upper  row 
will  be  short.  After  twenty-three  years  old  the  age  can  not 
be  told  accurately. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE.  237 

HOW  TO  DRENCH  A  HORSE. 

Have  a  halter  on  the  horse  and  take  him  some  place  where- 
there  is  room  for  his  head  to  be  held  up  high,  then  place  a  twitch 
on  his  nose.  A  twitch  is  a  handle  of  some  kind,  about  three  feet 
long-,  at  the  end  is  a  hole  throug-h  which  is  a  small  rope  tied  to 
form  a  ring.  This  rope  is  slipped  over  the  horse's  nose  and 
twisted  up  pretty  tight,  then  hold  the  horse's  head  up  high  by- 
lifting  on  the  twitch.  This  is  to  keep  the  medicine  from  running 
out  when  poured  into  his  mouth.  Have  an  assistant  to  hold  the 
twitch  while  you,  with  a  black  bottle  which  contains  the  drench, 
slip  the  neck  of  the  bottle  into  the  mouth  from  the  side  where 
there  is  no  teeth  ;  only  pour  a  little  out  of  the  bottle  at  a  time,  as 
you  might  choke  the  horse.  If  he  goes  to  cough  let  his  head  down 
immediately  until  through  coughing,  then  continue  the  drenching,, 
but  don't  be  in  too  big  a  hurry  to  empty  the  bottle. 

HOW  TO  BLEED  A  HORSE. 

Place  a  small  rope,  or  plow  cord,  in  the  form  of  a  slip-knot,, 
over  the  horse's  neck  and  draw  it  tight  enough  to  swell  the  jugular 
vein  oh  the  left  side  of  the  neck,  moisten  the  hair  over  the  swell- 
ing and  hold  the  fleames — which  must  be  clean — lengthwise  with 
the  vein  ;  have  an  assistant  to  hold  the  rope,  and  also  cover  the 
horse's  left  eye  so  he  cannot  see  you.  When  you  are  satisfied  the 
fleames  set  over  the  vein  strike  them  a  quick,  sharp  blow  with  a 
stick  of  some  kind,  which,  as  soon  as  the  vein  is  cut,  will  send  a 
stream  spurting  out  of  the  hole.  Continue  holding  the  rope  tight 
until  it  has  bled  enough.  Always  catch  the  blood  in  a  pail  so  you 
know  how  much  you  take  away.  When  it  has  bled  enough  let 
the  rope  slack,  which  will  stop  the  bleeding.  Then  take  a  bright 
new  pin  and  run  it  through  the  two  edges  of  the  skin  bringing 
them  together,  then  wind  a  string  around  the  pin  so  it  cannot  get 
off ;  leave  the  pin  in  for  twenty-four  hours  after  bleeding  ;  tie  the 
horse's  head  up  and  do  not  let  hi.n  out  to  grass  or  eat  anything 
that  will  cause  him  to  keep  his  head  down  to  the  ground  until  the 
vein  is  healed.  Be  sure  your  hands,  the  fleams  and  the  pin  are 
clean,  for  dirt  or  rust  will  set  up  inflammation  of  the  vein. 

A  CHILL. 

Causes. — It  is  often  noticed  after  a  horse  has  been  working 
hard  and  takes  a  cold  drink  of  water,  or  is  allowed  to  stand  in  the 
cold  afterwards,  or  anything  like  that,  will   bring  on  a  chill. 

Symptoms. — The  horse  will  be  shivering,  looks  very  dull,  his 


238  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

back  will  be  humped  up  a  little,  he  breathes  heavy  and  refuses  his 
feed.  This  is  not  looked  on  as  a  disease  itself,  but  a  symptom  ot 
some'  other  disease,  and  if  allowed  to  run  on  without  being- 
checked  is  liable  to  set  up  inflammation  of  any  of  the  organs  of 
the  body,  so  you  see  the  necessity  of  checking-  a  chill  in  time. 

Treatment. — Put  the  animal  in  a  warm  stall  and  put  an  extra 
blanket  or  two  on,  to  get  him  heated  up,  if  his  legs  are  cold  rub 
them  to  get  the  circulation  started.      Give  as  a  drench: 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre   1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming  Tincture  of  Aconite 5  to  10  drops. 

Ginger 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  hike  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 
repeat  the  dose  every  hour  until  he  is  better.  If  you  have  not  the 
sweet  spirits  of  nitre  give  a  wine  glass  full  of  whisky.  As  soon 
as  the  horse  will  eat  give  him  a  hot  drink  or  a  bran  mash. 

HOW  TO  FEED  AND  TAKE  CARE  OF  A  HORSE. 

Always  water  the  horse  before  feeding  if  he  is  not  too  warm. 
Feed  regular,  that  is,  set  certain  times  for  feeding  him  and  feed  as 
near  that  time  as  possible.  Give  him  a  certain  amount  of  exercise 
every  day  that  the  weather  is  fit  to  take  him  out,  if  not  working 
him  allow  him  to  run  out  around  the  yard,  and  always  remember 
that  good  cleaning  and  a  clean  stable  is  half  the  feed.  A  good 
plan  to  cleanse  the  stable  is  to  throw  a  little  lime  around  the  stalls 
every  week  or  so,  also  in  the  summer  when  the  horses  are  all  out 
of  the  stable,  close  up  the  doors  and  burn  sulphur  in  the  stable, 
this  will  kill  all  the  germs  of  distemper  and  all  other  diseases  that 
are  in  the  stable.  Always  have  a  little  box  of  salt  kept  in  front  of 
the  horse  so  when  he  wants  it  he  can  have  it,  and  b}'  doing  it  this 
way  he  will  never  take  more  than  is  good  for  him;  rock  salt  is  the 
best  if  you  can  get  it.  Whitewashing  the  stable  about  once  a 
year  is  a  good  plan  to  keep  it  clean. 


NOTICE. 

All  the  doses  of  medicine  which  are  mentioned  in  this  book  in 
the  diseases  and  treatment  of  the  horse,  if  not  specially  mentioned 
for  the  age  of  the  animal,  is  intended  for  the  average  size  horse, 
so  in  giving  d®ses  to  colts  or  very  small  horses  you  must  regulate 
the  dose  to  the  age  and  size  of  the  animal.  Yearling  colts  would 
take  one-third  of  the  dose  mentioned  for  a  horse.  A  two  year  old 
could  stand  one-half  the  dose  mentioned  for  a  horse.  A  three  year 
old  can  stand  nearly  as  large  a  dose  as  is  mentioned  for  a  horse. 
Four  year  old  and  upwards  take  the  full  dose. 


o 

:i: 

O 

z 
o 

H 
W 


EXPLANATION  OF  PLATE  V, 


SKELETON  OF  THE  OX. 

This  cut  shows  the  position  of  each  of  the  bones  and  joints 
in  the  frame  of  the  ox.  For  particulars  in  connection  with  this 
cut  refer  to  the  anatomy  of  the  ox — the  part  which  deals  with 
the  bones. 


SPECIAL  NOTICE. — Every  place  where  Tablespoonful  is 
mentioned  in  this  book  should  read :  Small,  or  Desert 
Tablespoonful,  which  is  equal  to  two  Teaspoonfuls. 


-16— 


PART  III. 

ANATOMY,  DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT 
OE  CATTLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ANATOMY  OF  THE  OX. 

Each  ot  the  bones  and  joints  ot  the  ox  receive  the  same  name 
as  those  of  the  horse.  There  are  a  few  important  points  of  differ- 
ence in  the  structure  of  the  skeleton  of  the  ox  and  horse,  viz.; 
There  are  only  thirteen  pairs  of  ribs  in  the  ox  while  the  horse  has 
eighteen  pairs.  The  breast  bone  or  sternum  is  much  larger  and 
flatter  in  the  ox  than  it  is  in  the  horse.  This  is  important  to 
remember  because  when  there  is  anything  wrong  with  the  lungs 
or  chest  of  cattle  they  always  lie  down,  for  the  breast  bone  and  the 
ribs  are  so  formed  that  when  they  lie  on  the  breast  bone  it  expands 
the  chest,  giving  the  animal  more  relief  than  if  it  was  standing, 
while  the  horse  always  stands  in  lung  trouble,  for  his  breast  bone 
and  ribs  are  so  formed  that  it  contracts  the  chest  and  gives  him 
more  pain  while  lying  down.  The  bones  of  the  head  of  the  ox 
differ  from  those  of  the  horse  by  being  very  heavy  and  wide  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  skull  and  has  a  projection  of  bone  at  each  side 
on  the  upper  part  of  the  skull  called  the  core  of  the  horn.  This  is 
important -on  account  of  dehorning,  and  every  one  interested 
should  become  familiar  with  it.  This  projection  or  the  core  of  the 
horn  is  hollow  inside  which  is  a  continuation  of  the  sinuses  or 
cavities  in  the  bones  of  the  head.  Attached  to  the  core  of  the 
horn  and  covering  it,  is  the  horn  itself.  Another  point  of  difference 
between  the  ox  and  the  horse,  is  that  there  are  two  smaJl  bones 
found  in  the  heart  of  the  ox  called  the  cardiac  or  heart  bones, 
-while  in  the  horse's  heart  there  are  no  bones  at  all  to  be  found. 


244  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Another  point  of  difference  between  the  ox  and  horse  is  that 
the  bones  in  li)e  lej^  of  the  ox  are  divided   from   lellock  down  into 
two  parts,  while  in  the  horse  they  are  not  divided. 
DIGESTIVE  ORGANS  OF  THE  OX. 
The  Lips  of  the  ox  are  thick  and  hard,  the  upper  one  in  front 
has  no  hair  on  it  and  varies  in  color  with  the  color  of  the  animal, 
and  when  cattle  are  in  g-ood  health  this  space  is  always  moist. 

The  Cheeks  on  the  inside  are  covered  by  numerous  little  rough 
processes  which  give  the  cheeks  a  very  rough  appearance. 

The  Toilg^ue  of  the  ox  is  stronger  than  that  of  the  horse  and 
is  more  movable,  it  is  very  thick  and  heavy  at  the  back;  it  is 
pointed  at  the  front  end  and  the  upper  part  of  it  is  very  rough; 
it  is  by  means  of  the  tongue  the  ox  takes  most  of  the  food  into  his 
mouth. 

The  Glands  which  secrete  the  saliva  are  similar  to  those  of 
the  horse. 

The  Teeth  differ  very  much  from  those  of  the  horse,  the  ox 
has  no  front  teeth  in  the  upper  part  of  his  mouth,  their  place  being 
taken  by  a  pad  of  cartilage  or  gristle.  This  pad  takes  the  place 
of  the  upper  row  of  front  teeth  for  the  lower  row  of  teeth  presses 
against  it  when  the  animal  is  cropping  grass  ;  on  account  of  this 
pad  it  can  be  seen  why  cattle  will  not  do  as  well  on  short  grass  as 
horses.  The  front  teeth  in  the  lower  row  also  differs  from  those 
of  the  horse,  they  are  eight  in  number,  chisel-shaped  and  are 
loosely  set  in  the  gum.  The  molars  or  back  teeth  are  similar  to 
those  of  the  horse  only  they  are  smaller  and  not  so  smooth  on  their 
upper  surface.  The  ox  has  twenty-four  molars  or  back  teeth,  and 
eight  incisors  or  front  teeth,  making  thirty-two  in  all. 

The  Pharynx,  or  gullet  in  the  ox  is  much  larger  than  that  of 
the  horse. 

The  CEsophagfUS,  or  tube,  which  carries  the  food  down  from  the 
mouth  to  the  stomach  is  well  developed,  the  fibres  in  it  are  very 
strong  and  have  a  double  action.  When  the  animal  is  eating  they 
carry  the  food  from  the  mouth  down  to  the  stomach,  and  during  the 
time  the  animal  is  chewing  its  cud  they  act  the  very  opposite, 
they  carry  the  food  from  the  stomach  back  up  into  the  mouth. 

The  Stomach  is  a  very  important  organ  to  understand,  for 
cattle  suffer  a  great  deal  from  diseases  of  the  stomach.  The 
stomach  of  the  ox  has  a  capacity  of  sixty  gallons,  and  is  divided 
into  four  divisions.  The  first  department  is  the  rumen  or  paunch; 
the  second  is  the  reticulum,  or  honey  comb ;  the  third  is  the 
omasum,  or  manyplies,  and   the  fourth   is  the  abomasum,  or  true 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  OX.  245 

■digestive  part  of  the  stomach.  The  first  tliree  departments  of  the 
stomach  prepares  the  food  tor  digestion,  while  the  fourth  digests 
!t.  The  rumen  or  pauncli  is  very  large,  and  in  an  aged  animal  it 
fills  up  three-quarters  of  the  belly  cavity,  it  lies  up  against  the  left 
side  of  the  belly,  where  it  is  attached  and  held  to  its  place  by  liga- 
ments ;  its  situation  is  important  to  remember,  for  in  many  dis- 
eases of  the  rumen,  or  paunch,  it  is  first  noticed  on  the  left  side, 
and  in  tapping  for  bloating  it  is  always  done  on  the  left  side 
because  the  paunch  lies  right  up  against  the  left  side.  The  walls 
of  the  paunch  of  an  ox  resembles  the  stomach  of  the  horse,  but  is 
not  nearly  so  sensitive,  and  will  stanu  a  great  deal  of  abuse  before 
inflammation  will  set  in.  The  paunch  has  two  openings,  both  of 
which  are  at  the  front,  one  is  where  the  food  enters  the  stomach, 
while  the  other  is  where  the  food  passes  out  into  the  next  division 
-of  the  stomach  called  the  reticulum,  or  honey  comb,  which  is  the 
smallest  division  of  the  stomach,  and  resembles  a  honey  comb  in 
appearance.  This  part  of  the  stomach  has  not  very  much  to  do  in 
preparing  the  food  ;  it  has  two  openings,  one  in  front,  where  the 
food  enters  into  it,  the  other  at  the  back,  where  the  food  passes 
through  into  the  third  part  of  the  stomach  called  the  omasum,  or 
manyplies,  which  is  the  second  largest  division  of  the  stomach. 
When  this  is  full  it  is  ovoid  in  shape  and  placed  just  behind  the 
second  division  of  the  stomach  and  at  the  right  side  of  the  paunch, 
and  if  you  examine  the  inside  it  will  be  found  to  be  full  of  folds, 
or  layers  of  membrane.  The  use  of  this  part  of  the  stomach  is,  while 
the  food  is  passing  through  it  to  draw  into  its  folds  all  the  coarse 
parts  of  the  food  and  roll  it  about  in  the  layers  until  it  gets  it  fine 
and  well  prepared  to  pass  into  the  last  part  of  the  stomach,  where 
it  becomes  digested.  When  this  part  of  the  stomach  becomes  de- 
ranged and  the  food  becomes  dry  and  hard  between  the  folds  it 
then  sets  up  the  disease  called  impaction  of  the  manyplies,  or  dry 
murne.  When  the  food  passes  out  of  this  third  division  it  is 
emptied  into  the  fourth  part  of  the  stomach  called  the  abomasum, 
or  the  true  digestive  part  of  the  stomach.  This  is  where  the  food 
is  digested.  The  walls  of  this  part  of  the  stomach  is  redder  in 
■color  than  the  three  first  divisions  and  has  the  glands  which 
secrete  the  acids  and  gastric  juices  of  the  stomach  which  assist 
greatly  in  digestion.  This  stomach,  also,  has  two  openings,  one 
where  the  food  enters  and  the  other  where  the  food  goes  out  of  it 
and  enters  into  the  small  bowels. 


246  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

The  Bowels,  or  intestines,  of  the  ox  are  divided  into  large  and 
small  bowels,  same  as  that  of  the  horse,  the  structure  and  action 
of  them  resemble  those  of  the  horse.  The  small  bowels  are  pnly 
half  the  size  of  those  of  the  horse,  they  being  about  one-half  inch 
in  diameter,  and  about  150  feet  in  length.  The  large  bowels  are 
not  nearly  so  large  as  those  of  the  horse,  and  are  36  feet  in 
length. 

The  Liver  of  the  ox  resembles  that  of  the  horse  only  it  has  a 
gall  bladder  which  resembles  a  pear  in  shape  and  it  acts  as  a 
vessel  to  store  up  the  gall  during  the  time  there  is  no  digestion 
going  on.  But  during  the  time  digestion  is  going  on  the  walls  of 
the  vessel  contracts  and  forces  the  gall  down  on  to  the  food.  The 
other  two  glands,  the  pancreas  and  spleen  resemble  those  of  the 
horse.  These  juices  have  the  same  action  in  cattle  as  they  have 
in  the  horse. 

HOW  RUMINATION  OR  CHEWING  OF  THE  CUD  IS  PERFORMED  IN  THE  OX^ 

The  ox  takes  the  food  into  its  mouth  principally  with  its 
tongue,  it  is  then  roughly  chewed  and  swallowed  and  passes  into 
the  rumen  or  paunch  where  it  is  rolled  about  by  the  action  of  the 
walls  of  the  paunch  and  mixed  with  the  juices  which  are  secreted 
in  the  paunch.  After  the  animal  has  finished  eating,  it  then,  as  a 
general  thing,  lays  down  (but  may  stand  up)  and  commence  chewing- 
its  cud,  the  way  this  is  performed  is,  the  walls  of  the  rumen  con- 
tracts and  forces  the  food  up  into  the  bottom  part  of  the 
cesophagus,  which  then  takes  on  a  reverse  action  and  forces  the 
food  up  into  the  mouth  where  the  food  is  all  thoroughly  chewed 
over  again,  and  in  swallowing  it  this  time  the  end  of  the 
cesophagus,  instead  of  opening  out  and  allowing  the  food  to  drop 
into  the  paunch,  keeps  closed  and  passes  the  food  right  into  the 
second  stomach,  thus  you  see  the  ox  first  roughly  swallows  its  food 
and  is  held  in  the  paunch  until  the  animal  has  time  to  bring  it  back 
to  the  mouth  and  chew  it  over  again.  After  it  enters  into  the 
second  stomach  or  reticulum,  which  is  the  honey  comb  part,  the 
food  is  shifted  around  for  a  short  time  and  mixed  with  the  juices 
secreted  in  that  part,  then  it  passes  back  into  the  manyplies  or 
third  division  of  the  stomach  where  the  fine  parts  of  the  food  pass 
riqht  along  to  the  abomasum  or  fourth  stomach,  while  the  coarser 
parts  cf  food  are  drawn  between  the  folds  of  membrane  in  the 
third  stomach,  here  it  is  worked  about  between  the  folds  until  it  is 
fine  and  ready  to  pass  into  the  fourth  stomach,  where  it  becomes 


THE  ANATOMY  OF  THE  OX.  247 

fully  digested  by  the  action  of  acids  and  gastric  juices  which  are 
secreted  in  this  part  of  the  stomach,  then  it  passes  into  the  small 
bowels  and  is  acted  upon  by  the  bile  from  the  liver  and  the 
pancreatic  juice  from  the  pancreas,  these  juices  are  emptied  into 
the  first  part  of  the  small  bowels  by  little  tubes  or  ducts,  which 
lead  from  the  glands  down  to  the  bowels,  just  on  the  same 
principle  a-<  that  of  the  horse.  After  this,  throughout  the  rest  of 
the  bowels,  the  nourishment  of  the  food  is  taken  up  into  the 
system  by  means  of  little  glands  or  villi  which  are  situated  in  the 
coats  of  the  bowels,  and  the  nourishment  when  once  in  the  blood 
goes  to  supply  the  different  parts  of  the  body,  while  the  part  of 
the  food  there  is  no  nourishment  in  passes  off  through  the  back 
bowels  in  the  form  of  manure. 

The  Feet  of  the  ox  and  bones  below  the  fetlock  are  divided 
and  receive  the  name  of  trotters. 

THE  RESPIRATORY  OR  BREATHING  ORGANS. 

These  organs  in  the  ox  work  on  the  same  principle,  and  re- 
semble in  structure  those  of  the  horse,  only  they  are  not,  as  a  gen- 
eral thing,  so  liable  to  diseases  as  the  breathing  organs  of  the 
horse. 

THE  URINARY  ORGANS. 

The  chief  point  of  difference  in  these  organs  are  the  kidneys. 
In  the  ox  they  are  larger,  and  instead  of  being  smooth,  like  those 
of  the  horse,  they  are  rough,  and  resemble  a  bunch  of  grapes. 
The  bladder  and  the  rest  of  the  urinary  organs  resemble  those  of 
the  horse. 

THE  GENITAL  ORGANS  OF  THE  COW. 

The  Ovaries  in  a  cow  are  smaller  than  those  of  the  mare,  but 
resemble  them  in  structure. 

The  Womb  in  the  cow  somewhat  resembles  that  of  the  mare, 
hut  the  inside  lining  is  different,  for  it  is  covered  with  button-like 
processes  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon  egg,  only  more  flattened  out. 
These  processes  receive  the  name  of  cotyledons  ;  this  is  what  the 
cleaning  or  afterbirth  is  attached  to  and  is  a  very  important  point 
which  every  person  interested  should  become  familiar  with  by  ex- 
amining a  womb  after  calving  or  by  opening  a  cow  that  dies  soon 
after  calving.  The  passage  out  of  the  womb  of  the  cow  is  shorter 
than  that  of  the  mare,  but  is  formed  on  the  same  principle. 

The  Bagf,  mammary  glands,  or  udder,  is  very  important  to 
understand  in    the  cow.      It    is    first   divided    into    two  halves  by  a 


248  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

partition  or  division  in  the  center  of  the  bag-.  Each  one  of  these 
halves  are  again  divided  into  two  parts,  each  part  is  known  as  a 
quarter  of  the  bag^,  each  quarter  having-  a  mammary,  or  milk 
gfland  and  a  sinus,  or  pouch  to  hold  the  milk  where  it  is  secreted 
until  the  cow  is  milked.  This  sinus  or  pouch  is  situated  just 
above  the  passage  of  the  teat. 

THE  GENITAL  ORGANS  OF  THE  BULL. 
The  Testicles  are  ovoid  in  shape  and  well  developed.  The 
spermatic  cord  and  artery  are  small  compared  with  those  of  the 
horse  ;  the  penis  is  long  and  pointed,  and  has  an  S  shaped  curve 
in  it  just  below  the  pubis,  or  hip  bones;  this  curve  can  be  felt  by 
feeling  carefully  just  behind  the  bag  ;  the  sheath  is  long  and  runs 
further  (orward  on  the  belly  and  has  a  tuft  of  hair  on  the  point  of 
it.  During  the  time  the  bull  is  serving  a  cow  the  S  shaped  part 
of  the  penis  straightens  out. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DISEASES  AND    TREATMENT  OF    CATTLE, 

CATARRH  OR  COLD  IN  THE  HEAD. 

Cattle  do  not  suffer  so  much  from  this  disease  as  horses. 
This  is  an  inflammation  set  up  in  the  lining  membrane  or  the 
sinuses  of  the  head. 

Causes. —  It  is  generally  brought  on  from  exposure  or  a  sud- 
den change  in  the  weather. 

Symptoms. — The  nose  is  rough  and  dry  and  has  a  mattery 
dischaige  from  it  ;  the  animal  has  a  slight  cough  and  makes  a 
rattling  in  the  head  when  it  is  breathing. 

Treatment. — Give  a  mild  dose  of  physic  consisting  of 

Epsom   Salts ^  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint   of   luke   warm   water   and    give   as   a   drench  ; 

keep  the  animal  dry  and  warm  and  feed  on   mashes  and  good  hay 

until  it  seems  better.      After  the  first  drench   follow  up  with   the 

following  medicine  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root |       " 

Mix  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day 
until  the  animal  is  better.  In  cases  where  the  discharge  con- 
tinues  from  the  nose  and  becomes  chronic,  it  is  then  called   nasal 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  249 

gfleet,  same  as  in  horses  ;  the  treatment  then  is  to  give  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  ground  sulphate  of  iron  three  times  a  day  in  its  feed  or 
on  its  tong-ue  with  a  spoon,  and  this  will  soon   stop  the  dischargfe. 

SORE  THROAT. 

This  is  a  kind  of  inflammation  affecting  the  larynx,  or  Adam's 
apple  ;  it  may  also  affect  the  pharynx,  or  gullet. 

Causes. — Exposure  to  cold  and  sudden  changes  of  the 
weather,  or  from  choking,  when  something  lodges  in  and  irritates 
the  throat,  or  from  roughly  passing  a  probang  down  the  throat 
and  bruising  it,  or  from  giving  medicines  that  are  not  properly 
diluted  with  water. 

Symptoms. — Difficult  breathing,  the  throat  will  be  swollen, 
and  it  hurts  the  animal  when  you  press  on  it,  the  nose  will  be  dry, 
and  the  animal  will  be  noticed  to  keep  swallowing,  it  refuses  its 
feed  and  does  not  chew  its  cud,  it  also  holds  its  head  poked  out 
trying  to  ease  its  throat. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  drench  : 

Epsom  Salts f  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitra 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 
taking  care  not  to  choke  the  animal,  as  well  as  this  follow  up  with 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur i       " 

Pulverized  Alum |       " 

Mix  and  give  a  large  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on  his 
tongue,  this  is  to  gargle  the  throat,  give  until  the  animal  is  better. 
Rub  the  throat  three  times  a  day  with  white  liniment  and  in  bad 
cases  apply  a  mustard  plaster  to  the  throat  or  you  might  use  a  hot 
poultice  every  night  on  his  throat. 

FILARIA  BRONCHITIS. 

This  disease  affects  young  cattle  and  sheep  and  is  caused  from 
small  germs  or  parasites  getting  down  into  the  lining  of  the 
bronchial  tubes;  these  germs  receive  the  name  of  strongyius 
micrurus  and  they  get  into  the  system  by  being  taken  into  the 
stomach  in  the  water  or  food,  then  they  pass  from  the  stomach 
into  the  bowels,  from  there  they  get  into  the  blood  and  pass 
around  until  they  get  to  the  bronchial  tubes  where  they  lodge  and 
set  up  this  disease.  This  disease  is  most  common  where  animals 
are  grazing  on  low  pasture  fields. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  makes  a  wheezy  noise  while  breath- 
ing and  has  a  dry  husky  cough  with  a  slight   discharge    from    the 


260  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

nose  and  by  examining  the  discharge  with  a  microscope  you  will 
find   those  little  germs  or  parasites  in  it.      The  animal  gradually 
runs  down  in  condition  and  if  the  affected  one  is  not  soon  separ- 
ated from  the  rest  the  other  young  cattle  will  become  affected. 
Treatment. — Kill  the  germs  or  parasites  by  giving 

Raw  Linseed  Oil ^  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine ^  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  once  a  week.  The  turpentine  has 
a  special  action  in  cases  of  this  kind  for  it  gets  into  the  blood  and 
therefore  comes  in  contact  with  the  germs  or  parasites  and  kills 
them.  If  this  should  fail,  drive  the  affected  cattle  into  a  stable, 
then  take  a  pan  of  sulphur,  throw  some  live  coals  in  it  and  let  the 
animal's  breath  the  fumes  of  it,  stand  in  the  stable  with  the  cattle 
and  just  give  them  as  much  of  the  fumes  as  you  can  stand  yourself 
and  then  turn  them  out,  this  is  the  best  wav  to  tell  how  much  to 
give  them.  Do  this  every  day  for  a  week  or  so  until  they  are 
better.  By  breathing  the  fumes  of  the  burning  sulphur  it  comes 
in  contact  with  the  germs  or  parasites  in  the  bronchial  tubes  and 
destroys  them  and  stops  the  disease.  The  main  thing  in  burning 
sulphur  is  not  to  strangle  the  cattle  by  letting  them  inhale  too 
much  of  the  fumes,  as  well  as  this  feed  them  well  to  get  them  up  in 
condition. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS  IN  CATTLE  (PNEUMONIA). 

Causes. — They  are  similiar  to  the  causes  of  inflammation  of  the 
lungs  in  horses;  catching  cold  in  some  way,  such  as  being  out  in 
cold  rains  or  standing  in  a  cold  draft  or  catching  cold  after  calving. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  refuses  to  eat,  has  a  slight  cough 
and  the  nose  is  sometimes  dry,  then  wet,  changing  frequently;  he 
breathes  heavy  and  quick  and  in  breathing  makes  a  groaning 
noise  similar  to  impaction  of  the  stomach,  and  care  must  be  taken 
that  you  do  not  mistake  one  for  the  other.  By  placing  your  ear 
over  the  side  of  the  chest  a  sound  is  heard  similar  to  that  made  by 
rubbing  some  hair  of  your  head  just  over  your  ear  between  your 
thumb  and  finger.  If  it  is  a  milch  cow  she  will  be  noticed  to  drop 
off  some  in  her  milk.  By  pressing  on  the  ribs  over  the  lungs  with 
your  hand  the  animal  is  noticed  to  be  sore,  also  feverish  and  very 
thirsty  and  from  the  fever  of  the  lungs  the  bowels  are  often  a  little 
costive,  the  pulse  is  quick  and  strong  at  first  but  after  a  couple 
of  days,  if  not  better,  the  pulse  gets  quicker  and  weaker,  some- 
times running  as  high  as  one  hundred  beats  per  minute.  In  this 
disease  cattle  lie  almost  all  the  time,  and  lie  well  upon  tne  breas 
bone  for  this  position  seems  to  give  them  relief. 


DISEASES  A^T>  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  261 

Treatment. — If  the  bowels  are  not  very  free  and  the  annual  is 

in  fair  condition,  give 

Epsom    Salts ^  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  this  drench  three 
times,  leaving  out  the  salts  after  the  first  drench.  Rub  the 
sides  with  white  liniment  three  times  a  day,  and  keep  a  half 
pail  of  hot  salt  over  the  lungs,  changing  it  about  every  hour  dur- 
ing the  day,  and  at  night  apply  a  mustard  plaster  ;  take  half  a 
pound  of  mustard  with  enough  vinegar  to  make  it  into  a  paste 
and  rub  well  in  over  the  sides  and  cover  the  animal  up  warm. 
Keep  this  treatment  up  until  relief  comes.  When  the  animal 
seems  to  be  getting  better  quit  the  above  drenches  and  give  the 
following : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Root i       " 

Ground  Aniseed i       " 

Mix  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on  his 
tongue.  Keep  the  bowels  regulated  by  giving"  one-half  pound 
drenches  of  epsom  salts  once  or  twice  a  week  and  feed  on  soft 
food  with  plenty  of  boiled  flaxseed  in  it. 

BRONCHITIS  IN  CATTLE. 

This  disease,  when  it  is  the  result  of  a  cold,  comes  from 
causes  similar  to  that  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs  ;  the  symptoms 
are  same  as  those  of  inflammation  of  the  lungs,  only  by  listening 
with  your  ear  at  the  windpipe  you  will  hear  more  of  a  wheezing 
noise. 

Treatment. — Is  the   same  as  is  given  for  inflammation  of  the 

lungs. 

PLEURISY  IN  CATTLE. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  coverings  of  the  lungs. 

Causes. — They  are  similar  to  those  of  inflammation  of  the 
lungs,  and  this  disease   is  very  often   found   in  connection  with  it. 

Symptoms.- -They  are  similar  to  those  in  inflammation  of  the 
lungs,  only  that  when  there  is  pleurisy  there  is  more  of  a  grating 
sound  heard  when  you  place  your  ear  to  his  side  and  the  animal's 
sides  seem  sore  and  he  flinches  more  when  you  press  on  it  than  in 
inflammation  of  the  lungs. 

Treatment.—  The  treatment  is  the  same  as  for  inflammation 
of  the  lungs.      In  this  disease,  as  well  as  in  all  other  lung  troubles,^ 


252  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

be  very  careful  in  drenching-  so  as  not  to  choke  the  animal,  and 
give  him  plenty  of  fresh  air  without  being-  in  a  draft  and  keep  him 
as  comfortable  as  possible. 

CHAPTER  III. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  DIGESTIVE  ORGANS 
OF  CATTLE. 

SLAVERING. 

This  is  a  dribbling  of  saliva  from  the  mouth. 

Causes. — From  a  wound,  or  something-  being-  caught  betv/een 

the  teeth,  or  from  eating  wild  mustard  or  poisonous  grasses. 

Treatment— Give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Common   Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

Sponge  the  mouth  out  with  the  following  lotion  once  a  day  : 

Powdered  Alum 1  tablespoonful. 

Water 1  pint. 

After  the  medicine  has  operated   and   you   have  washed  the 

mouth  out  two  or  three  times  the  slavering  generally  disappears. 

In  all  cases  of  this  kind  examine  the  mouth  thoroughly  by  looking 

into  it,  and  if  you  find  anything  caught  between  the  teeth  remove 

it  at  once. 

SHARP  MOLARS  OR  BACK  TEETH. 

This  is  where  the  edges  of  the  teeth  are  sharp  and  cuts  the 

tongue  and  cheeks.      When  the  animal  is  feeding  it  will  ^^ometimes 

stop  and  spit  the  food  out  of  its   mouth  and  does   not  thrive  well. 

The  best  way  to  fix  this  is  to  run  a  tooth  rasp  a  few  times  over 

the  outside  edges  of  the   upper  teeth   and  the  inside  edges  of  the 

lower  teeth. 

DECAYED  TEETH  (CARIES)  IN  CATTLE. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  does  not  thrive  well,  will  stop  eating 
and  spit  the  food  out  of  its  mouth;  on  examining  the  animal's 
mouth  you  will  find  the  breath  smells  very  bad ;  if  you  put  a  clevis 
in  its  mouth  and  run  your  hand  back  you  will  find  the  decayed 
tooth. 

Treatment. — Tie  the  animal  up  short  and  have  the  tongue 
held  out  of  the  mouth  by  an  assistant;  if  the  animal  seems  ugly 
place  a  small  sized   clevis  crossways   in   its   mouth,  then  pass  your 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  258 

hand  in  alonyf  the  teeth  until  you  find  the  aflFected  tooth.  Tliea 
remove  the  tooth  with  a  large  pincers  or  forceps  for  that  purpose. 
In  drawing-  the  tooth,  if  the  animal  is  ugly,  throw-  it  down  and 
secure  it  by  the  same  process  as  is  given  in  castrating  a  bull. 

CAPS  ON  THE  TEETH. 

This  occurs  in  cattle  from  two  to  four  years  old  when  they 
are  shedding  their  milk  grinders;  instead  of  the  milk  teeth  drop- 
ping out,  as  they  should,  caps  hang  on  the  new  teeth  and  cause 
them  to  fester  at  the  roots,  causing  a  lump  on  the  jaw  bone. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  be  noticed  to  hold  its  head  to 
one  side,  have  difficulty  in  eating  and  sometimes  spit  the  food  out, 
will  fall  OiT  greatly  in  condition  and  if  allowed  to  run  on  for  some 
time  a  lump  will  form  on  the  jaw  opposite  the  festered  tooth. 

Treatment. — Examine  the  mouth  carefully  till  you  find  the 
tooth  which  has  the  cap  on  it  which  can  be  easily  told  by  its  being 
stuck  up  higher  than  the  other  teeth,  as  soon  as  you  find  it 
remove  the  cap  with  a  pincers  or  anything  that  will  knock  the 
cap  off  the  tooth,  a  cold  chisel  and  hammer  will  do,  by  tapping  it 
gently  until  you  knock  the  cap  off.  If  this  is  done  in  time  it  will 
tmve  a  lump  from  forming  on  the  jaw. 

LUMPS  ON  THE  JAW  BONES   FROM  THE  TEETH  OR  FROM  AN  INJURY. 

Those  lumps  are  hard  and  immovable. 

Treatineilt. — If  it  is  caused  from  a  cap  staying  on  the  tooth  too 
long,  causing  the  roots  of  the  tooth  to  fester,  remove  the  cap  but 
do  not  pull  the  tooth  at  first,  try  a  blister  on  the  lump  of  the 
following  : 

Uiiiiodid  of  Mercury \h  drams. 

Pi/wdered  Cautharides  or  Spanish  FI3' 1        " 

Vasr  line  or  Lard 1  ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  one-third  to  one-half  oi  this  amount,  according 

to  the  s'.ze  of  lump,  rub  in  well  and  grease  in  three  days;   between 

two  and  three  weeks  after,  wash  off  the  lump  with  soap  and  water 

and  blister  again,  greasing  in  three  days  after.      If  this   treatment 

does  not  stop  the  lump  from  growing  throw  the  animal  and  secure 

it  and  pull  the  tooth   with   a  large   forceps   used   for  that  purpose. 

If  the  cause  is  from  an   injury    blister  same  as  mentioned  above. 

For  other  information  of  lumpy  jaw  see  actinomycosis. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  PAROTID  GLANDS. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  glands  situated  at  the  side  of  the 
throat. 


254  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Causes. — From  an  injury  of  some  kind  such  as  another  animal 
hookingf  it;  or  by  striking  an  animal  with  a  stick  or  stone  while 
driving  them. 

Symptoms. — The  affected  side  of  the  throat  will  be  swollen 
and  very  sore,  and  the  animal  will  walk  about  with  its  head  stuck 
out,  and  will  fall  off  in  condition,  for  on  account  of  the  throat 
being  so  sore  it  is  unable  to  bend  its  neck  down  to  eat,  and  it  also 
hurts  it  to  swallow. 

Treatment. — Apply  hot  poultices  to  the  throat  of  half  linseed 
meal  and  bran  ;  change  the  poultice  every  three  or  four  hours  to 
keep  it  hot,  and  each  time — when  you  are  changing  it — rub  the 
gland  well  with  white  liniment,  this  will  either  check  the  inflam- 
mation and  bring  down  the  swelling,  or  if  it  festers,  will  bring  it 
to  a  head,  and  then  if  it  does  not  break  of  its  own  accord  lance  it 
in  the  softest  part.  After  you  have  lanced  it  and  let  the  matter 
out,  poultice  every  night  and  apply  white  lotion  before  putting  the 
poultice  on  and  after  taking  it  off.  While  you  are  treating  the 
animal  keep  it  in  the  stable  and  feed  it  out  of  a  high  manger  so  it 
will  not  have  to  lower  its  head  to  eat  ;  give  it  plenty  of  slops  and 
boiled  feed,  or  anything  that  is  easily  chewed  and  swallowed  so 
as  to  keep  its  strength  up  until  it  gets  better. 

CHOKING. 

This  is  a  very  common  thing  among  cattle. 

Causes. — From  the  animal  attempting  to  swallow  something 
that  is  too  large  for  its  throat,  such  as  an  apple,  potato,  slice  of 
turnip,  mangel,  or  carrot,  and  sometimes  from  a  bone  when  the 
animal  has  a  fashion  of  licking  or  chewing  them,  and  by  mistake 
it  slips  down  the  throat  and  chokes  it. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  will  stop  eating,  slaver  at  the  mouth, 
cough,  breath  heavy,  and  after  a  time  will  become  bloated  in  the 
paunch,  which  is  noticed  at  the  left  side,  and  if  the  animal  does 
not  soon  get  reaef  it  becomes  so  bloated  it  will  drop  down  from 
suffocation  and  will  soon  die.  Bloating  is  generally  worse  when 
it  is  an  apple  or  potato,  for  they  act  just  like  a  cork  in  a  tube. 

Treatment. — Examine  the  mouth  and  throat,  or  gullet,  and 
see  if  you  can  tell  what  is  choking  the  animal  ;  also  examine  along 
the  left  side  of  the  neck  to  try  and  find  out  where  it  is  lodged  in 
the  tube.  If  you  can  feel  or  see  whatever  is  choking  the  animal, 
and  you  think  you  can  reach  it,  put  a  clevis  crossways  in  its 
mouth  and  run  your   hand   down    the    throat   and    bring  it  up.      If 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  255 

you  cannot  reach  it  pour  half  a  pint  of  linseed  oil  down  as  a 
drench,  then  move  the  obstruction  by  working-  it  with  your  hand 
from  the  outside  until  the  oil  gets  worked  around  it  and  it  may 
slip  down  when  you  get  it  started.  If  you  have  no  raw  linseed 
oil  any  other  kind  of  oil  will  do.  If  this  fails  pa.ss  down  a 
probangs  Which  is  an  instrument  for  that  purpose  ;  there  is  a 
small  wooden  gag  goes  with  the  probang  ;  the  wooden  gag  is 
placed  in  the  mouth  crossways  ;  have  a  man  to  stand  on  each  side 
and  hold  a  horn  and  one  end  of  the  gag,  keeping  the  cow's  head 
in  line  with  the  body  ;  oil  the  probang  and  pass  it  through  the 
hole  in  the  gag,  on  through  the  center  of  the  mouth  into  the 
gullet  or  throat,  down  into  the  tube  leading  to  the  stomach,  pass 
it  gently  down  until  you  strike  the  obstruction,  then  press  on  it 
until  you  force  the  obstruction  down  into  the  stomach.  In  cases 
where  the  animal  is  badly  bloated,  and  you  cannot  press  the  ob- 
struction down  into  the  stomach,  tap  her  on  the  left  side  to  let  the 
gas  out  with  a  trocar  and  cannula,  or  with  a  penknife,  then  you 
can  easily  shove  the  obstruction  down  and  the  bloating  will  soon 
disappear.  Do  not,  under  any  circumstances,  go  to  shove  down 
a  broom-handle,  or  anything  of  that  kind,  to  remove  the  obstruc- 
tion, for  you  are  apt  to  burst  the  tube  which  leads  to  the  stomach, 
and  you  will  then  lose  the  animal.  Probangs  cost  from  $1.00  to 
$1.50,  and  can  be  got  at  a  wholesale  drug  store  or  veterinary  in- 
strument store,  and  is  something  that   every  stock  owner  should 

have. 

BLOATING  (TYMPANITES). 

This  is  gas  forming  in  the  paunch,  or  rumen,  and  is  a 
common  occurrence  among  cattle. 

Causes. — From  choking,  sudden  change  in  the  food,  wet 
clover,  or  eating  frozen  roots  of  any  kind. 

Symptoms. — The  left  side  will  be  greatly  swollen  with  gas, 
and  in  severe  cases  the  whole  belly  will  be  distended  ;  by  tapping 
with  your  fingers  on  the  left  side,  over  the  paunch,  it  will  make  a 
hollow,  drum-like  sound,  and  on  account  of  the  stomach 
being  so  much  swollen  it  presses  on  the  lungs,  causing  the 
animal  to  breath  very  heavy.  In  severe  cases  the  eyes  will  be 
bloodshot,  and  if  it  does  not  soon  get  relief  will  stagger,  fall  and 
die,  actually  smothering  to  death. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  must  be  quick  in  severe  cases. 
Give  the  following  drench  : 


250  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 2  ounces,  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonf id. 

Mix  and  give   as   a   drench,    and    if   the    animal  does  not  get 

relief  in  one  hour  and  a  half  give 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 2  ounces,  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Dissolve  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 

after  this  give   the  following  drench   every  hour   until   the  animal 

gets  relief: 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Apply  plenty  of  heat  to  the  body  by  means  of  blankets,  and 
hot  salt  over  the  kidneys.  The  after  treatment  is  to  feed  light, 
give  luke  warm  water  to  drink  and  principally  mashes  to  eat  for  a 
few  days,  so  as  to  allow  the  stomach  to  have  a  rest.  Where  the 
animal  is  very  much  bloated  and  in  danger  of  its  life,  perform  the 
operation  of  tapping.  The  way  this  is  done  is  to  cut  a  small  hole 
in  the  skin  on  the  left  side,  midway  between  the  point  of  the  hip 
bone  and  the  last  rib,  and  about  four  inches  down  from  the  back 
bone.  After  the  hole  is  cut  in  the  skin  take  a  trocar  and  cannula 
and  run  them  downwards  and  inwards,  then  pull  out  the  trocar 
and  leave  the  cannula  in,  which  lets  the  gas  come  spouting  out  of 
the  cannula  ;  leave  the  cannula  in  for  an  hour  or  so  until  the  bloat- 
ing is  all  gone  down,  then  pull  it  out  and  let  the  hole  heal  up 
itself.  A  trocar  and  cannula  can  be  got  at  a  wholesale  drug  store 
from  50  cents  to  75  cents,  and  is  a  very  valuable  thing  to  have  on 
hand.  If  you  have  not  one  of  these  instruments  take  a  sharp 
penknife  and  stick  it  in  the  same  place  as  you  did  the  trocar  and 
cannula. 

IMPACTION  OF  THE  RUMEN,  OR  PAUNCH,  WITH  FOOD. 

This  is  when  the  rumen,  or  paunch,  gets  full  of  food  and  is 
unable  to  work  it  out. 

Causes. — From  feeding  on  poor  food,  such  as  straw  and  such 
like,  and  the  animal  takes  a  large  feed  of  it,  and  on  account  of 
the  walls  of  the  stomach  being  weak  it  is  unable  to  work  the  food  out 
of  it  as  it  should,  or  from  a  large  feed  of  over-ripe  grass,  or  from 
the  animal  getting  loose  and  getting  a  large  feed  of  corn,  bran, 
oats,  wheat  or  other  grain,  or  from  a  large  feed  of  any  kind  of  food 
the  animal  is  not  used  to.  It  is  also  caused  by  feeding  fattening 
cattle  too  heavy. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  257 

Symptoms. — In  some  cases  the  animal  is  slightly  bloated, 
while  in  other  cases  there  is  no  bloating  at  all  ;  the  animal  seems 
uneasy,  and  makes  a  peculiar  grunt  or  groan  nearly  every  time  it 
breathes.  If  it  is  a  cow,  and  milking,  the  flow  of  milk  will  fall 
away  in  one  night,  the  nose  will  be  dry,  breathing  and  pulse  will 
be  quicker  than  natural,  and  the  animal  will  keep  getting  up  and 
down  once  in  a  while,  and  will  not  take  much  food  or  water.  By 
pressing  on  the  left  side,  over  the  paunch,  or  rumen,  it  will  be 
found  hard  and  full  of  food,  and  where  you  make  the  dent  in  it 
with  your  finger  the  dent  will  stay  in  it  some  time.  By  tapping 
over  the  stomach  there  will  be  a  dull,  heavy  sound.  The  bowels 
are  costive,  and  the  passage  is  dry,  slimy  looking,  and  has  a 
bad  smell. 

Treatment. — Give  a  dose  of  physic  consisting  of 

Epsom  Salts H  pounds. 

Bitter  Aloes 1  ounce. 

Common  Soda 2  tablespoonfulfl. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Dissolve  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

After  this  follow  up  with  a  stimulant  to  help  the  physic  to  work 

through  the  bowels. 

Whisky 2  wineglassf uls. 

Ginger 2  tablespoonf ula. 

Common  Soda ....2  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  three 
times  a  day  until  the  animal  is  better.  If  the  physic  has  not  oper- 
ated in  twenty-four  hours  after  giving  it,  walk  the  animal  a  quarter 
of  a  mile,  the  exercise  often  starts  the  physic  to  work,  but  if 
it  does  not  operate  wait  twenty-four  hours  more  before  giving  any 
more  physic,  at  the  end  of  this  time,  if  the  physic  has  not 
operated,  give  a  stronger  physic  consisting  of 

Bitter  Aloes 2  ounces. 

Gamboge 2  drams. 

Mix  in  a  pin-t  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  then 
at  the  end  of  another  twenty-four  hours  give  the  animal  a  short 
walk,  and  this  will  generally  work  the  physic  ;  if  this  has  not 
operated,  after  walking  it,  give 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Give  this  drench  every  day  until  the  physic  does  operate. 
Keep  the  animal  well  blanketed  and  warm,  and  place  a  half  pail 
of  hot  salt  over  the  back,  for  heat  helps  the  stomach  to  act.  Give 
the  animal  all  the  luke  warm  water  it  will  drink  ;  give  it  sloppy 

-17— 


258  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

{'eed,  but  no  hay.  In  the  course  of  a  week  or  so  after,  if  the 
physic  lias  operated  without  carrying  off  the  load  of  food  out  of 
the  rumen  or  paunch,  then,  as  the  last  resort,  perform  the  operation 
of  rumenotomy. 

HOW  TO  PERFORM  THE  OPERATION  OF  RUMENOTOMY. 

The  animal,  when  sick,  is  generally  very  easy  held  ;   shove  it 

up  against  the  side  of  the  stall  or  partition,  then  fasten  it  there  by 

means  of  a  long  rope,  any  way  at  all  so  you  get  it  solid,  and  tie 

the  animal  so  the  left   side  will   be   out,  then,  with   a  sharp  knife, 

make  a  cut  four  or   five   inches   long,  right  through   the  skin  and 

muscles  to  the  stomach,  commencing  the  cut  two  inches  below  the 

back  bone,  and  half  way  between  the  last  rib  and  the  front  of  the 

hip  bone,  then  pass  your  hand    into   the   cut  and  take  hold  of  the 

stomach,  drawing    it   well    out,    then    make    a    large   enough  cut 

in  the  stomach  to  pass  your  hand  in  and  out  free,  then  have  some 

person  to  hold  the  stomach  still  out  through  the  cut  in  the  side  so 

the  food  will  not  fall  down  between  the  wall  of  the  stomach  and 

the  belly  ;   remove  all  the  hard  food  in  the  paunch  or  rumen,  then 

sew  the  cut  you  made   in   the  stomach   up  with  a  needle  used  for 

sewing    wounds  ;     use    carriage     trimmers'    twine,    and    put    the 

stitches  half  an  inch  apart,  then  wash  off  the  cut  which  was  made 

in  the  stomach  with  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water   and  10  drops  of 

carbolic  acid  in  it ;  after  it   is   washed  off  nice  and  clean  shove  it 

back  to  its  natural  place  and  sew  up  the  outside  cut,  putting  the 

stitches   in   half  an  inch    apart.      The    treatment   for  the  outside 

wound  is  to  bathe  the  cut  twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water,  and, 

after  bathing,  apply  the  white   lotion   until   it  is   healed  up.      The 

after  treatment  is  to  give  the  animal  a  few  drenches  of  stimulants, 

such  as  are  mentioned  in  the  treatment  of  impaction  of  the  rumen, 

or  paunch.      Feed  the  animal  on  soft  food   made  into  the  form  of 

soft   gruels  for  a  few  days    and    keep    it   quiet  until   the  cut  is 

healed  up. 

VOMITING. 

This  is  sometimes  met  with  in  cattle,  but  never  in  the  horse. 

Causes. — Generally  from  some  irritation  of  the  fourth,  or  true 
digestive  part  of  the  stomach,  or  it  may  be  caused  from  eating 
some  bones,  old  clothes,  or  a  boot  or  something  of  that  kind. 
Sometimes  it  is  caused  from  nails  being  taken  into  the  rumen  with 
food.  Often  after  an  animal  is  slaughtered  there  are  nails  and  rub- 
bish  found  in  the  stomach. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  259 

Treatment. — Give  a  physic  consisting-  of 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Brown  Sugar ...    ^  pound. 

Salt 2  tablespoonf uls. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and    give   as   a   drench. 

This  will  generally  give  relief,  but  if  it  does  not,  give: 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Common  Soda 2  tablespoonf  uls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  every  second  day  until  the  animal 
gets  relief.  Feed  on  soft  food  and  give  luke  warm  water  to 
drink  for  a  while.  In  cases  whera  this  does  not  give  relief  and 
you  are  sure  there  is  something  in  the  stomach,  perform  the 
operation  of  rumenotomy  and  take  it  out. 

HAIR  BALLS  IN  THE  RUMEN  OR  PAUNCH. 

Causes. — They  are  caused  from  animals  licking  each  other  in 
the  spring  when  the  hair  is  loose,  and  this  hair  collects  in  a  ball 
in  the  stomach. 

Symptoms. —The  animal  soon  stops  chewing  its  cud,  and  has 
slight  spells  of  bloating  ;  it  does  not  feed  well  and  soon  falls  off  in 
condition. 

Treatment. — Give  a  physic  of 

Epsom  Salts. 1  pound. 

Common  Soda 2  tablespoonf  uls. 

Ginger 2  " 

Mix  in  a  quart  ot  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
Give  this  drench  once  a  week,  and  if  it  does  not  help  the  animal, 
and  you  think  there  is  a  hair  ball  in  the  stomach,  then,  as  a  last 
resort,  perform  the  operation  of  rumenotomy.  There  has  been 
cases  known  where  snakes,  from  three  to  four  feet  long,  have 
been  found  in  the  stomach  of  the  ox  ;  there  are  also  cases  known 
where  nails  have  worked  their  way  through  the  stomach  into  the 
heart  and  killed  the  animal. 

BINDER  TWINE  IN  THE  RUMEN  OR  PAUNCH. 

Causes.  —  From  eating  straw  that  has  been  bound  with  binder 
twine,  and  the  twine  collects  and  rolls  up  in  the  form  of  a  ball  in 
the  rumen  or  paunch. 

Symptoms. — Same  as  that  given  for  hair  balls  in  the  rumen 
or  paunch. 

Treatment. — Same  as  that  given  for  hair  balls  in  the  rumen 
or  paunch. 


260  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

IMPACTION  OF  THE  MANYPLIES  OR  THIRD  PART  OF  THE  STOMACH. 

This  also  receives  the  name  of  fardelbound,  or  dry  murrain. 
This  is  when  the  food  in  the  third  part  of  the  stomach  gets  hard 
and  dry  between  the  folds  and  cannot  work  out.  In  some  cases- 
it  gets  packed  in  between  the  folds  as  hard  as  a  board. 

Causes. — From  the  animal  eating  dry  and  over-ripe  food  that 
does  not  contain  much  nourishment.  A  common  cause  is  when 
the  cattle  are  turned  out  too  early  in  the  spring,  before  the  new 
grass  has  grown  much,  and  in  trying  to  get  at  the  new  grass 
they  fill  themselves  with  old,  dry  grass,  which  lodges  in  third  part 
of  the  stomach  and  sets  up  impaction  of  it. 

Symptoms. — First  there  will  be  diarrhoea,  followed  by  costive- 
ness  and  stoppage  in  the  bowels,  and  anything  that  does  come 
away  is  hard  and  slimy  looking.  The  animal  will  fall  off  in  con- 
dition, and  if  it  is  a  milch  cow  she  will  nearly  go  dry.  The  nose 
will  be  dry  and  hot,  the  pulse  quickened  and  breathing  increased, 
and  sometimes  there  will  be  slight  moaning  and  grating  of  the 
teeth;  the  belly  has  a  tucked  up  appearance,  and  on  account  of 
the  animal  not  eating  much  it  does  not  chew  its  cud.  If  the  dis- 
ease is  allowed  to  run  on  without  being  relieved  it  affects  the 
brain  and  the  animal  becomes  delirious,  which  is  followed  by  con- 
vulsions and  death. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  drench  : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Ginger 2  tablespoonf uls. 

Common  Soda 2  " 

Salt 2 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench- 
After  this  give  the  following  stimulating  drenches  : 

Whisky 2  wineglassfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica 1  teaspoonful. 

Salt i  tablespoonful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;  re-^ 
peat  this  drench  three  times  a  day  until  the  animal  is  better  ; 
keep  the  bowels  open  by  giving  pint  doses  of  raw  linseed  oil  every 
three  days  ;  by  keeping  the  bowels  open  and  giving  these  stimu- 
lants it  will  generally  work  the  food  out  of  the  stomach  in  a  few 
days.  Give  the  animal  plenty  of  luke  warm  water  to  drink,  and 
feed  on  soft  food.  Salt  is  given  to  get  the  animal  to  drink,  which 
helps  to  work  the  food  out. 


DISEASES  A^'D  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  l261 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  FOURTH  PART  OF  THE  STOMACH. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  fourth,  or  the  true  digestive  part 
•of  the  stomach,  and  is  more  often  met  with  in  calves  than  in  older 
•cattle. 

Causes. — In  cattle  it  is  caused  from  eating  frozen  roots  or 
g-rass,  also  over-ripe  food.  In  calves  it  is  caused  from  changing 
too  suddenly  from  sweet  to  sour  milk,  especially  when  the  calf  is 
young  this  irritates  the  stomach  and  sets  up  the  disease. 

Symptoms. —  First  diarrhoea,  then  constipation,  and  keeps 
changing  from  one  to  the  other  every  day  or  so  ;  the  animal 
breathes  quick  and  groans  with  pain  ;  the  nose  is  hot  and  dry, 
^nd  the  belly  has  a  tucked  up  appearance  and  is  sore  when  you 
press  on  it  ;   the  legs  and  ears  will  be  cold. 

Treatment  for  Calves.— Give  the  following  drench  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil J  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.  Give  its  belly  a  good  rubbing 
with  mustard  and  vinegar  ;  blanket  to  keep  it  warm,  also  place 
some  hot  salt  in  a  bag  over  the  back,  after  this  give  a  teaspoonful 
•of  laudanum  in  half  a  cup  of  milk  three  times  a  day  until  it  gets 
relief,  and  if  it  will  drink  give  it  small  quantities  of  new  milk,  and 
in  its  drinking  milk  put  one  teaspoonful  of  common  soda  every 
time  you  feed  it. 

Treatment  for  Larger  Cattle.  —Give  the  following  drench  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench,  afterward  give  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a  day 

«until  it  gets  relief.      Clothe  the   body  well   and    keep   hot  salt  in  a 

■bag   to  its   back.      Give   luke  warm  water   to  drink,  and   feed   on 

soft  food. 

DIARRHCEA  IN  CATTLE. 

Causes. — From  drinking  impure,  or  stagnant  water,  eating 
frozen  roots  ;  a  sudden  change  of  food,  or  from  excitement  by 
■being  chased. 

Symptoms. — There  are  large  passages  from  the  bowels  of  a 
ifluid  nature,  and  the  animal  soon  gets  gaunt  and  falls  off  in  con- 
dition, and  in  bad  cases  will  not  eat,  but  seems  very  thirsty. 

Treatment. — Give  the  fo'lowino-  drench  : 


262  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  pint. 

Tincture  of  Catechu 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonf  uls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.      Clothe  the  body  well  and  place 

hot   salt   to   the   back.      Keep   the    animal    very   quiet  ;  gfive  very 

little  water  to   drink,   and  take  the   chill  off  it ;  feed  on  soft,  hot 

mashes  and  very  little  other  food.      In   severe  cases  also  apply  a 

mustard  plaster  over  the  belly  to  heat  the  bowels.      If  the  animal 

does  not  get  relief  in  five  hours  after  the  first  drench  then  give  the 

following  : 

Tincture  of  Catechu 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 2  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

five  hours  until  the  animal  gets  relief.      This  disease,  after  it  runs 

on  for  some  time,  is  apt  to  terminate  in  bloody  flux  (dysentery). 

BLOODY  FLUX  (DYSENTERY)  IN  CATTLE. 

This  comes  after  diarrhoea,  when  the  manure  is  streaked 
with  blood. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  the  same  as  given  for  diarrhoea, 
only  in  each  of  the  drenches  put  a  teaspoonful  of  ground  chalk. 

COLIC  IN  CATTLE. 

Causes. — This  is  generally  caused  from  taking  a  cold  drink 
of  water  or  a  change  of  food  especially  if  it  is  green  or  frozen. 

Symptoms. — This  is  very  painful  while  it  lasts,  the  animal  is 
very  uneasy,  lies  down,  gets  up,  stretches  out,  strikes  the  feet 
against  the  belly  and  moans,  and  looks  around  at  the  side  with, 
pain  and  in  some  cases  is  slightly  bloated  on  the  left  side. 

Treatment. —  Give  the  following  drench: 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1         "       4  '• 

Fleming  s  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 

keep  the  animal  warm  by  blanketing  and  repeat  this  drench  every 

hour  until  the  animal  gets  relief,  but  after  the  first  dose  leave  out  the 

epsom  salts.      Another  good  drench  is 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1^  ounces  or  6  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench,  after  this  follow  up  with  the  above 

drench  every  hour.      Another  good  drench  is 

Whisky i  pint. 

Black  Pepper 1  tablespoonf ul. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  263 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.     The 

danger  of  this  disease  is  that  it  may  terminate  in   inflammation  of 

the  bowels, 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BOWELS  (ENTERITIS) 

This  is  not  so  common  in  cattle  as  it  is  in  horses.  It  gener- 
ally affects  the  small  bowels,  in  severe  cases  the  animal  dies  in 
four  or  five  hours. 

Causes. — it  sometimes  follows  cases  of  colic  or  from  the 
bowels  getting-  twisted  and  stopping  the  passage,  from  being  out 
in  cold  rains;  or  a  sudden  change  in  the  temperature  and  the 
animal  gets  a  chill  which  settles  in  the  bowels  or  from  eating 
musty  or  frozen  food,  or  from  drinking  ice  cold  water  when  it  is 
hot  or  anything  that  will  chill  the  body. 

Symptoms — There  is  dryness  of  the  muzzle,  loss  of  appetite 
and  on  account  of  not  eating  does  not  chew  its  cud,  it  seems  very 
restless  and  is  in  severe  pain,  pawing  and  getting  up  and  down 
and  does  not  seem  to  have  a  minute's  ease.  Its  urine  or  water  is 
of  a  red  color  and  the  manure  that  it  passes  is  covered  with  slim-e, 
the  legs  and  ears  are  cold,  the  animal  keeps  gritting  its  teeth,  and 
on  listening  at  the  side  there  is  no  movement  to  be  heard  in  the 
bowels,  the  pulse  is  very  quick  but  after  a  short  time  gets  very 
weak,  so  weak  you  can  hardly  feel  it. 

Treatment. — Bleed  the  animal  as  soon  as  noticed,  take  three- 
quarters  of  a  pail  of  blood  from  it,  if  it  is  in  fair  condition  and 
a  medium  sized  animal;  after  this  give 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfula. 

Linseed  Tea ....    1  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  every  four  hours,  clothe  the  body 
well,  place  hot  salt  over  the  back  and  a  mustard  plaster  to  the  belly. 
CONSTIPATION  OF  THE  BOWELS  IN  CATTLE. 

This  is  not  so  common  in  cattle  as  it  is  in  horses  and  is  more 
likely  to  occur  in  cattle  that  are  feeding  high  on  strong  feed  such 
as  corn,  shorts  and  mill  sweepings  or  any  other  rich  food  is  apt  to 
cause  it  especially  if  the  animal  is  not  getting  a  few  roots  along 
with  it  to  keep  the  bowels  loose. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  seems  dull,  does  not  care  to  eat  or 
drink,  the  muzzle  is  dry  and  there   is  no  passage  from  the  bowels. 

Treatment — Give  the  following: 

Epsom   Salts 1  pound. 

Bitter  Aloes   , 1  ounce. 

Ginger 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 2  " 


264  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.      If 

this  has  not  operated  in  twenty-four  hours  walk  the  animal  for  a 

quarter  of  a  mile  and  if  it  has   not  operated   in   twenty-four  hours 

after  the  walk  give  it  the  following: 

Oambog'=! .    2  drams  or  1  teaspoonf ul. 

Bitter  Aloes 2  ounces. 

Mix  in  a  quart   of  luke   warm  water   and   give   as  a  drench  ; 

keep  exercising  the  animal  every  day,  and  if  the  last  drench  has 

not  operated  in  twenty-four  hours  give 

Raw  Liuseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Whisky h     " 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  and   give   as  a   drench,    and   give   this  drench  every  day 

until  there  is  a  passage  ;   keep  the  body  warm  with   blankets  and 

hot  salt  in  a  bag  over  the  back. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LINING  OF  THE  BELLY  CAVITY  (PERITONITIS). 

The  causes,  symptoms  and  treatment  are  similar  to  those  in 
this  disease  in  the  horse.      It  is  rarely  met  with  in  cattle. 

DROPSY  OF  THE  BELLY. 

This  follows  cases  of  peritonitis,  and  the  symptoms  and  treat- 
ment are  similar  to  that  in  the  horse.      This  disease  is  rarely  met 

with  in  cattle. 

TAPEWORMS  IN  CATTLE. 

This  is  about  the  only  kind  of  worms  the  bowels  of  the  ox 
are  subject  to.  This  complaint  is  rarely  met  with  in  cattle,  but 
in  cases  where  it  is  there  may  be  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred 
feet  of  the  worm  found  in  the  bowels. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  runs  down  in  condition,  but  still 
keeps  feeding  and  seems  always  hungry.  The  only  way  to  be 
sure  that  it  is  a  tape  worm  is  to  watch  the  manure  and  you  will  find 
joints  of  the  worm  coming  away  with  the  manure. 

Treatment. — Get  rid  of  the  worm  by  starving  the  animal  for 
four  days,  that  is,  just  give  it  enough  to  keep  it  from  starving  to 
death.      Give  the  following  drench  : 

Oil  of  Male  Fern ^  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonf  uls. 

New  Milk 1  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench.  Give  this  drench  three  times  a 
day  during  the  four  days  you  are  starving  the  animal,  and  at  the 
end  of  that  time  give  one  pint  of  castor  oil,  which  will  bring  the 
worm  away  all  right.      Young  calves  are  more  often  aflfected  than 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  265 

cattle  ;  treat  them  the  same,  only  give  quarter  of  the  dose.  As 
soon  as  the  worm  passes  away  bring  the  animal  back  to  its 
regular  feed  and  habits  again. 

JAUNDICE  OR  YELLOWS. 

Causes. — This  may  be  caused  from  congestion  or  inflamma- 
tion of  the  liver,  or  from  bile  stones  forming  in  the  duct  of  the 
liver,  damming  back  the  bile.  It  is  most  often  seen  in  stall-fed 
cattle. 

Symptoms. — By  pressing  on  the  right  side  of  the  belly  it 
causes  the  animal  pain,  its  appetite  is  poor  and  it  does  not  want 
to  drink  much  ;  the  white  of  the  eyes  and  the  lining  of  the  mouth 
and  nose  is  of  a  yellow  color.  If  it  is  a  milk  cow  the  milk  falls 
off  in  quantity,  and  has  a  bitter  taste  like  bile  ;  the  animal  will 
sometimes  cough  a  very  painful  cough,  and  will  soon  run  down  in 
condition  and  have  a  very  dull  appearance. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Epsom   Salts 1  pound. 

Salt 2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  but 
before  giving  it  to  the  animal  put  one  dram  of  dry  calomel  (which 
acts  on  the  liver)  on  the  tongue  with  a  spoon  and  wash  it  down 
with  the  drench.  Repeat  this  drench  once  or  twice  a  week  until 
the  animal  is  better.  Feed  on  soft  food,  give  plenty  of  water  to 
drink  and  gentle  exercise  every  day. 

FLUKE  DISEASE  IN  CATTLE  AND  SHEEP. 

This  occurs  in  cattle  and  sheep  pasturing  on  low-lying  lands, 
and  is  more  often  met  with  in  rainy  seasons. 

Causes. — Animals  drink  the  eggs  of  the  flukeworm  out  of 
pools  of  water,  or  take  them  in  along  with  the  grass  ;  after  they 
get  into  the  stomach  in  this  way  they  get  into  the  blood  along 
with  the  nourishment,  and  pass  around  in  the  blood  until  they 
come  to  the  liver,  where  they  lodge  and  form  into  flukeworms,  after 
this  they  lay  eggs,  which  pass  down  out  of  the  liver  along  with 
the  bile,  then  out  of  the  system  along  with  the  manure  ;  they  be- 
come dry  and  are  blown  into  pools  of  water  and  over  the  grass, 
where  the  animals  again  take  them  up.  This  is  the  way  they 
generate. 

Symptoms.— At  first,  when  the  eggs  are  taken  into  the  liver, 
they  seem  to  stimulate]  the  action  of  the  liver,  and  the  animal 
seems  to  thrive  better  than  ever  for  a  time,  but  alter  the  worms  be. 


206  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

come  full  grown  the  liver  becomes  diseased,  which  stops  the  secre- 
tion of  the  bile,  and  the  animal  soon  falls  off  in  condition,  be- 
comes very  dull  and  weak,  and  has  dropsical  swellings  under  the 
jaws,  throat,  chest  and  belly,  and  these  symptoms  are  sooa 
followed  by  death. 

Treatment. — There  is  nothing  that  can  be  be  done  but  to 
destroy  the  diseased  animal  to  keep  the  disease  from  spreading, 
and  move  the  unaffected  cattle  to  a  higher  and  dryer  pasture. 
This  disease  does  not  affect  horses,  so  horses  can  be  turned  on 
the  pasture  the  cattle  are  taken  from.  On  examining  the  liver 
after  death  you  will  find  it  diseased,  and  you  will  also  find  worms 
which  are  from  one-half  to  one  inch  long,  and  have  round  bodies. 
In  some  cases  you  will  find  them  in  great  numbers. 

WHITE  SCOWERS  IN  CALVES. 

This  is  a  form  of  diarrhoea  in  calves. 

Causes. — Is  from  an  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  fourth 
part,  or  true  digestive  stomach,  and  is  generally  caused  from  chang- 
ing the  calf's  milk  by  taking  the  milk  of  another  cow  to  feed  it  on, 
or  from  giving  it  cold  or  skimmed   milk  when  it  is  not  used  to  it. 

Symptoms. — The  manure  it  passes  is  very  thin,  and  is  of  a 
yellowish  white  color  ;  the  calf  is  in  pain,  breathes  heavy,  and 
groans  in  spells,  keeps  gritting  its  teeth  and  looking  around  at  its 
sides. 

Treatment. — Try  and  find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble,  and  if 

caused    from    a   change   in  the  milk,  or  from  giving  it  too   cold, 

give  good,  warm  milk  to  drink,  and  follow  with  the  following: 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 2  ounces,  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Lime  Water 2  "       8  " 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  and   give   as   a   drench,  and   if  this   does   not  give  relief 

give  the  following  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Lime  Water 2  ounces,  or  8  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  and  give  this  three  times  a  day  in  a  little  milk  as  a 
drench.  Keep  this  treatment  up,  and  see  that  the  animal  is  kept 
dry  and  warm  until  it  is  better. 

BLOODY  URINE  (RED  WATER)  IN  CATTLE. 
Causes. — It  is  caused  by  the  animal  eating  some  weeds  that 
act  on  and  irritate  the   kidneys,  or   it    may  be    caused  from  stones 
in  the  bladder  or  kidneys,  or  from  a  severe  strain  to  the  back. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  267 

Symptoms. — The  urine  or  water  is  of  a  smoky,  red  color^ 
and  the  animal  will  pass  water  often,  and  strain  after  making  it, 
and,  in  some  cases,  makes  a  great  lot  of  it. 

Treatment. — Give  as  a  drench  : 
Glauber  Salts 1  to  1 J  pounds. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  and 

follow  up  with  the  following  powders  : 

Ground  Gentian  Root J  pound. 

Sulphate  of  Iron ^       " 

Mix  well  together  and  give  a  large  tablespoontul  in  a  mash 
twice  a  day,  night  and  morning. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

TROUBLES  IN  CALVING  AND  DISEASES 
FOLLOWING. 

HOW  TO  TELL  WHEN  A  COW  IS  WITH  CALF. 

During  the  hot  months  of  spring  and  summer  a  cow  will 
come  bulling  every  third  week,  and  occasionally  a  well-fed  cow 
kept  in  a  warm  stable  will  come  bulling  during  the  winter.  After 
she  takes  the  bull  and  is  with  calf  she  ceases  to  come  bulling  or 
running,  and  will  thrive  and  feed  better,  and  is  of  a  quieter  dis- 
position than  before.  After  a  few  weeks  she  commences  to  get 
larger  at  the  flanks,  which  is  more  noticeable  on  the  right  side  on 
account  of  the  calf  lying  mostly  on  that  side.  The  call  gradually 
grows,  and  at  the  fifth  or  sixth  month  becomes  alive,  and  can  be 
seen  moving  at  the  side  after  the  cow  has  taken  a  cold  drink  of 
water.  A  few  months  after  the  cow  has  been  to  the  bull  you  can, 
by  pressing  your  hand  in  quickly  at  the  right  flank,  feel  the  calf, 
which  is  easily  told  by  the  shape  and  hardness  of  the  object  you 
feel.  Springing  commences  in  young  cows  about  four  months 
previous  to  calving,  and  the  bag  gradually  keeps  getting  larger 
until  calving  time,  while  older  cows  generally  commence  to  make 
a  bag  from  four  to  six  weeks  before  calving.  During  the  time 
she  is  making  a  bag  the  vulva  gradually  keeps  getting  larger. 
Near  the  -^nd  of  the  ninth  month,  when  calving  time  approaches, 
the  ligaments  at  the  sides  of  the  tail  and  hips  relax  and  leaves  a 
hollow  at  each  side  of  the  tail,  this  hollow  is  well  marked  a  day  or 
so  before  calving.      A  few  days  before  calving  the  cow  has  a  wild 


268  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

expression  in  her  eye,  and  is  cross  to  other  animals,  and  will  try- 
to  get  away  by  herself,  after  this  the  labor  pains  come  on  and  she 
is  noticed  to  be  straining,  then  the  neck  of  the  womb  opens  out, 
the  water  bag-  appears  and  breaks,  and  if  the  calf  is  coming  natural 
and  everything  all  right,  the  front  legs  and  head  appears.  The 
cow  generally  lies  down,  and  after  a  few  minutes  of  severe  strain- 
ing the  calf  is  delivered,  and  the  cleaning,  placenta  or  afterbirth 
generally  comes  away  at  the  time  of  calving,  or  very  soon  after. 

DROPSY  OF  THE  WOMB  BEFORE  CALVING. 

This  is  due  to  some  derangement  of  the  afterbirth,  and  there 
is  an  over  abundant  amount  of  fluid  secreted  around  the  calf,  in 
some  cases  several  pailfuls  collect  in  the  womb  around  the  calf. 

Symptoms. — The  belly  keeps  getting  larger  and  larger  until 
the  cow  seems  almost  as  broad  as  she  is  long,  and  on  account  of 
so  much  fluid  forming  she  becomes  weak  and  has  difficulty  in 
getting  up  and  walking  around. 

Treatment. — There  cannot  be  much  done  in  this  disease  only 
keep  the  strength  up,  give  a  teaspoonful  of  nitrate  of  potash  or 
saltpetre  in  a  mash  every  third  day  until  she  calves,  this  is  to  act 
on  her  kidneys,  which  helps  to  get  the  water  out  of  the  womb. 
Feed  plenty  of  good,  strong,  nourishing  food  to  keep  her  strength 
up  and  she  will  be  all  right  after  calving. 

PARALYSIS  OF  HIND  QUARTERS  BEFORE  CALVING. 

This  disease  is  generally  noticed  in  poorly-fed,  unthrifty 
cows,  especially  if  they  are  exposed  to  cold  or  wet,  and  is  caused 
by  the  calf  in  the  womb  pressing  on  the  nerves  that  go  to  supply 
the  hind  quarters  with  power. 

Symptoms. — The  cow  appears  healthy — is  eating  and  chewing 
her  cud,  but  is  not  able  to  rise  on  her  hind  parts. 

Treatment. — Give  half-pound  doses  of  Epsom  salts  once  or 
twice  a  week,  according  to  how  it  acts  on  the  bowels,  and  give 
the  following  powder: 

Ground  Gentian  Root I  pound. 

Nitrate   of    Potash   or   Saltpetre ^      " 

Powdered  Nux  Vomica ^       " 

Mix  and  give  a  tablespoonful  in  a  slop  twice  a  day.  Give 
plenty  of  good  food ;  keep  her  warm ;  have  good  bedding  under 
her,  and  turn  her  from  side  to  side  twice  a  day  until  she  calves, 
then  she  generally  comes  all  right.  Never  attempt  to  put  her  in 
slings,  just  let  her  lie  until  she  is  able  to  get  up. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  269' 

TROUBLES  MET  WITH  IN  CALVING. 

Troubles  met  with  in  cows  when  calving,  such  as  deformities, 
or  calves  coming"  in  unnatural  shapes,  is  fully  explained  in  con- 
nection with  "Difficulties  met  with  in  a  marc  foaling."  The 
deformities  and  positions  are  about  the  same,  and  the  principle 
laid  down  to  take  foals  away  is  used  in  taking  calves  away. 
Always,  if  the  calf  is  coming  front  end  first,  have  the  front  feet 
and  head  coming  together,  and  if  the  hind  end  is  coming  first,  do 
not  attempt  to  turn  the  calf,  but  bring  it  out  with  hind  feet  first. 
Never  be  too  eager  to  use  hooks,  because  small  ropes  are  better 
and  there  is  less  danger  of  tearing  the  womb;  and  in  cases  where 
there  has  to  be  any  cutting  done,  it  is  best  to  get  an  experienced- 
hand,  for  the  parts  of  the  calf  have  to  be  skinned  inside,  com- 
mencing at  the  legs  and  skinning  to  the  shoulder  blade,  and  then 
taking  it  off  with  the  leg;  then  take  out  the  ribs  and  insides,  and 
so  on,  with  the  other  parts  until  you  have  enough  of  the  calf  cut 
away  so  that  you  can  get  it  out  all  right. 

CLOSURE  OF  THE  NECK  OF  THE  WOMB  AT  CALVING  TIME. 

This  is  where  calving  time  has  come,  and  labor  pains  are 
on  the  womb,  but  the  neck  of  the  womb  keeps  contracted  or  closed,, 
and  will  not  allow  the  calf  to  come  out  of  the  womb. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  drench : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonf ul. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  lake  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.      Keep 

the  body  warm  with  blankets  and  half  a  pail  of  hot  salt,  in  a  bag, 

over  the  back.      On  examining  the  neck  of  the   womb  with  your 

hand    you    will    find   that  you   can   only   get   one   or   two    fingers 

worked   into    it.      Take    a    small    piece    of   sponge    or    cloth    and 

saturate  it  with  fluid  extract  of  belladonna,  then  shove  it  well  into 

the  neck  of  the  womb  as  if  it  were  for  a  plug  ;  change  this  two  or 

three  times  a  day  to  put  more  of  the  fluid  extract  of  belladonna  on  it. 

Do  not  use  any  rough  treatment,  for  the  belladonna  in  a  day  or 

so  will  dilate  or  open  the  neck  of  the  womb  enough  so  that  she  will 

calve  herself.      In  case  this  treatment  should  fail,  take  a  penknife 

and    nick    around    the  inside  of  the  neck  of  the  womb  in  several 

places   on    the   upper   side,  then    use   the    belladonna  as  described 

above — and  this  will  open  it. 


270  THE  VETEKINARY  SCIENCE. 

RUPTURE  OF  THE  WOMB  OR  THE  PASSAGE  OUT  FROM  THE  WOMB. 
This  occurs  at  the  time  of  calving  in  the  same  way  it  does  in 
the  mare  when  foaling,  and  for  symptoms  and  treatment  look  at 
rupture  of  the  womb,  or  the  passage  out  from  the  womb,  in  the  mare. 

TURNING    OUT    OF    THE    VAGINA   OR   PASSAGE   LEADING   FROM    THE 

WOMB. 

Causes. — Both  in  cows  and  mares  is  from  standing  in  the 
stall  with  their  hind  feet  too  low  before  calving  or  foaling,  and 
while  lying  down,  on  account  of  being  so  full,  the  womb  presses 
back  against  the  passage  and  turns  it  out  ;  it  is  liable  to  come  out 
in  cows  a  few  days  after  calving  from  straining,  or  it  may  be 
caused  from  constipation,  in  either  cows  or  mares  where  they 
strain  in  making  manure. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  bulging  out  of  the  passage  about  the 
size  of  a  man's  head. 

Treatment. — Bathe  the  parts  well  with  lake  warm  water  until 
it  is  nice  and  clean,  and  shove  it  back  to  its  place  and  stitch  the 
edges  of  the  vulva  together  b}-  putting  in  a  couple  of  stitches,  just 
leaving  space  enough  at  the  bottom  for  the  mare  or  cow  to  make 
water.  Put  the  stitches  deep  in  the  vulva  and  allow  them  to  come 
out  of  their  own  accord,  which  generally  takes  a  week  or  so.  If 
it  is  a  cow,  give  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts  and  a  tablespoonful  of 
ginger  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water,  and  raise  her  stall  two  or 
three  inches  higher  at  the  back  than  in  the  front;  feed  on  rich 
food,  as  it  will  not  make  such  a  bulk  in  her  stomach.  If  it  is 
a  mare,  give  her  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil,  and  raise  her  stall  two 
or  three  inches  higher  at  the  back  than  in  the  front;  and  in  either 
case  be  careful  until  after  they  foal  or  calve.  In  either  case,  if 
they  are  about  to  have  their  young,  watch  them  close,  and  if  the 
labor  pains  come  on,  cut  the  stitches  out  and  give  her  assistance, 
and  after  she  is  delivered  of  her  young  shove  the  parts  back  and 
stitch  up  the  vulva  again  for  a  few  days,  then  she  well  be  all  right. 

WOMB,  CALF  OR  FOAL  BED  TURNED  OUT. 

This  is  where  the  calf  or  foal  bed  is  turned  inside  out,  and 
hangs  down  from  the  vulva.  This  is  not  often  seen  in  mares,  but 
is  a  common  occurrence  in  cows. 

Causes. — From  the  animal  lying  with  her  hind  end  too  low, 
and  while  the  womb  is  in  its  dilated  or  enlarged  state,  after 
calving   or   foaling,  the  body   being   low  behind,   the  bowels  and 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  271 

stomach  presses  the  womb  back  up  into  the  pelvic,  or  hip  cavity, 
and  as  soon  as  it  gets  up  in  this  part  it  causes  the  animal  to  have 
pain  and  strain,  which  soon  turns  the  w^omb  inside  out.  To 
prevent  this  from  taking-  place,  it  is  always  well  to  keep  the  animal 
standing-  for  a  few  minutes  after  having  her  young-,  so  as  to  allow 
the  womb  to  go  back  into  its  place,  and  after  this,  if  she  lies 
down,  see  that  her  hind  end  is  not  too  low. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  seems  very  weak  and  has  a  large, 
red  mass  hanging  out  behind,  sometimes  larger  than  a  large 
wooden  pail. 

Treatment. —  In  all  cases,  as  soon  as  it  is  noticed,  return  it, 
for  the  sooner  it  is  done  the  easier  it  is  put  back  and  the  less 
danger  there  is  of  losing  the  animal,  for  the  longer  it  is  out  the 
more  it  swells.  If  the  cleaning  is  still  attached  to  the  womb — as 
it  is  in  some  cases — remove  the  cleaning,  which  is  easily  done, 
before  returning  the  womb,  by  separating  it  from  one  button  at  a 
time.  After  this  bathe  well  with  warm  water,  and  when  it  is  nice 
and  clean,  place  a  clean  sheet  or  blanket  under  it  and  have  it  held 
up  by  two  men,  one  on  each  side,  while  you  are  returning  it  ; 
after  everything  is  ready  for  returning  it  make  the  cow,  or  mare, 
get  on  her  feet,  and  have  her  stand  so  that  her  hind  end  is  a 
few  inches  higher  than  her  front  end,  then  have  the  men  who  are 
holding  the  sheet  raise  the  womb  a  little  higher  than  the  vulva, 
this  makes  it  easier  to  shove  in.  After  this  begin  turning  the 
womb  in,  commencing  at  the  edge  of  the  vulva,  returning  it  gradually 
until  all  of  it  is  in  the  passage,  then,  with  your  hand  closed,  press  it 
against  the  end  of  the  womb  and  shove  it  right  back  to  its  place 
and  hold  it  there  for  a  few  minutes  with  your  hand  and  arm.  Dur- 
ing the  time  you  are  returning  it  be  careful  not  to  run  your  fingers 
through  it.  After  you  draw  out  your  arm  place  three  or  four 
good,  solid  stitches  across  the  vulva,  leaving  a  little  space  at  the 
bottom  for  the  water  to  come  out.  Cover  the  animal  so  that  she 
will  be  warm  and  keep  a  half  pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  to  her  back. 
If  it  is  a  cow  give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre   1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  "      4  " 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  after  this  give 
one  ounce  or  four  tablespoonfuls  of  tincture  of  laudanum  and  ten 
drops  of  aconite  in  a  pint  of  water  every  three  hours  until  she 
stops  straining,  also  keep  her  standing  on  her  feet  for  a  few  hours, 


272  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

with  her  hind  end  raised  three  or  four  inches  higher  than  her  front 
end.  In  two  or  three  days  after  the  pains  are  gone  take  the 
stitches  out  and  allow  her  to  stand  on  the  level  floor  again.  If  it 
is  a  mare  give  one  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil  instead  of  the  Epsom 
salts,  but  the  rest  of  the  treatment  is  the  same.  In  both  cases  re- 
move the  stitches  in  two  or  three  days,  when  the  animal  quits 
straining  and  seems  all  right. 

HOW  TO  TAKE  AWAY  THE  CLEANING  FROM  A  COW. 

C^USe. —  Is  from  a  congested  and  swollen  state  of  the  buttons 
to  which  the  cleaning  is  attached  to  the  womb  inside. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  the  cow  is  noticed  not  to  clean  give 
the  following  drench  : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  In  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
Blanket  well  and  keep  half  a  pail  of  hot  salt  in  a  bag  to  her  back  ; 
give  her  a  hot  bran  mash  and  leave  her  quiet,  and  when  the  medi- 
cine operates  she  will  generally  clean  all  right,  in  thirty  hours  after 
you  have  given  her  the  medicine,  if  she  has  not  cleaned  you  will 
have  to  take  it  away  with  your  hand.  Roll  up  your  sleeves  and 
oil  your  right  hand  and  arm,  then  take  hold  of  the  piece  of  clean- 
ing that  is  outside  with  your  left  hand  and  pass  your  right  hand 
into  the  womb,  and  by  gently  pulling  the  cleaning  it  will  come 
away  quite  easy  after  getting  the  medicine,  it  being  held  in  only 
by  the  neck  of  the  womb  being  tightened  on  it,  not  allowing  it  to 
slip  out.  In  cases  where  the  cleaning  has  not  loosened  off  of  the 
buttons,  keep  gradually  pulling  with  the  left  hand  and  loosen  the 
cleaning  with  the  right  hand  off  the  buttons  until  it  is  all  worked  off. 
A  little  practice  in  removing  cleanings  soon  makes  a  person  perfect 
at  it.  When  the  cleaning  is  green  and  too  tight  on  the  buttons 
allow  it  to  remain  in  another  day  and  give  her  another  drench  of 
the  same  kind  as  the  first  one  mentioned,  which  will  make  it  all 
right  for  taking  away.  Cleaning  should  never  be  taken  away 
without  first  giving  the  medicine  to  loosen  it  from  the  buttons. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  WOMB  (METRITIS). 

This  disease  generally  comes  on  two  or  three  days  after 
calving. 

Causes. — From  getting  wet,  standing  in  a  draft  or  anything 
that  will  give  her  a  sudden  chill,  will  bring  it  on. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  273 

symptoms. —  Slig-ht  shivering  ;  the  horns,  ears  and  legs  are 
cold,  the  pulse  and  breathing  quick,  she  loses  her  appetite  and 
stops  chewing  her  cud  and  seems  restless  on  her  hind  legs,  as  i{ 
in  pain  ;  she  seems  sore  on  the  right  side,  her  vulva  is  swollen, 
and  she  passes  bloody  looking  stuff  from  it  ;  frequently,  after 
making  her  water,  she  seems  very  thirsty  ;  her  bowels  are  costive, 
and  the  urine  is  of  a  reddish  color  ;  the  bag  is  hot,  swollen  and 
and  tender,  and  she  does  not  give  as  much  milk  as  she  should. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts 1    pound. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1^  ounces,  or  6  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench;   keep 

her  body  warm   with  blankets  and  half  a  pail  full  of  hot  salt  in  a 

bag  on   her  back,   and  keep   it    hot   by   changing  it   every  hour. 

After  the  first  drench  give 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  "       4  " 

Fleming  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 
four  hours  until  she  is  better.  Feed  on  soft  food  with  boiled  flax- 
seed in  it  to  keep  the  bowels  loose.  Give  her  cold  water  to  drink 
in  small  quantities,  but  often.  After  this  disease  has  passed  off 
there  is  sometimes  a  nasty  discharge  from  the  womb  of  a  whitish 
color,  which  has  a  bad  smell.      This  is  called  whites  (Leucorrhcea). 

WHITES  (LEUCORRHCEA). 

This  disease  frequently  follows  inflammation  of  the  womb, 
but  may  be  caused  in  other  ways,  such  as  handling  the  womb 
rough  in  taking  the  calf,  or  cleaning  away,  or  returning  a  calf 
bed  ;  anything  that  will  irritate  the  womb  will  set  up  this  disease  ;. 
or  it  may  be  caused  from  the  cow  being  put  to  the  bull  too  often. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  nasty,  whitish  discharge,  which  has 
a  bad  smell,  passes  from  the  vulva,  which  is  often  noticed  after 
she  makes  her  water,  from  the  effects  of  this  the  cow  runs  down 
in  condition,  gets  poor,  weak  and  hide-bound. 

Treatment.—  Give  her  half-pound  doses  of  Epsom  salts  dissolved 
in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water,  twice  a  week  to  keep  the  bowels  free. 
Oil  your  hand  and  pass  it  through  the  passage  to  the  neck  of  the 
womb,  then  gradually  open  it  up  with  your  fingers  until  you  get  it 
large  enough  to  pass  your  hand  into  the  womb,  then  with  a  pail 
of  luke  warm  water,  soap  and  a  sponge  wash   the  womb  and  pr;s- 

—18— 


274  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

sage  out  until  you  get  it  nice  and  clean,  then  with  a  teaspoonful 
of  sulphate  of  zinc  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  water  bathe  the  womb 
well.  This  will  heal  the  womb  and  dry  up  the  discharge.  In  the 
course  of  a  week,  if  the  discharge  is  not  stopped,  dress  the  womb 
again  the  same  as  above  mentioned.  Keep  giving  her  the  salts 
once  or  twice  a  week,  according  to  how  much  it  acts  on  the 
bowels,  and,  if  in  the  spring  of  the  year,  let  her  out  to  grass. 

PARALYSIS  AFTER  CALVING. 

This  is  when  the  cow  apparently  seems  healthy,  only  she 
cannot  rise  up  on  her  feet,  and  is  generally  caused  from  an  injury 
to  the  muscles  or  nerves  of  the  back  when  she  is  straining  while 
calving.  This  disease  need  not  alarm  you  for,  as  a  general  thing, 
she  gets  all  right  in  a  few  days. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following: 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in   a   quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

Keep   her  body  warm  with  blankets,  and   apply  a  quarter   of  a 

pound  of  mustard,  mixed  in  vinegar,  over  the  back  every  second 

day.      Feed  on  soft  food,  with  boiled  flax  seed  in  it.      Milk  her  out 

twice  a  day,  and  also  turn  her  over  from  side  to  side  twice  a  day, 

but  never,  under  any  circumstances,  put  her  in  slings. 

MILK  FEVER  (PARTURIENT  APOPLEXY). 

This  is  one  of  the  most  fatal  diseases  cows  are  subject  to, 
and  mostly  affects  well-fed,  fat  cows  that  calve  during  the  hot 
months  of  spring  and  summer,  but  may  affect  poor  cows.  It  is 
also  noticed  occasionally  to  affect  cows  at  almost  any  time  of  the 
year;  even  in  the  winter,  in  rare  cases,  it  is  noticed. 

Causes. — The  exact  causes  of  this  disease  are  not  clearly 
understood;  but  it  is  supposed  that  on  account  of  the  hot  weather, 
and  the  cow  being  fat  and  full  of  blood,  it  sets  up  a  fever  which 
affects  the  nerves,  and  when  the  nerves  are  affected,  the  milk 
glands  also  become  affected,  and  do  not  secrete  the  milk,  and  the 
milk  not  being  secreted  as  it  should  be,  leaves  the  blood  charged 
full  of  material  which  should  go  to  form  milk,  and  when  the  blood 
becomes  full  of  this  material,  it  affects  the  brain  and  nerves,  soon 
causing  paralysis.  This  disease  is  usually  noticed  to  come  on  in 
from  one  to  eight  days  after  calving.  The  sooner  it  comes  on 
after  calving,  the  more   fatal    the   disease   is.      Cows    taking   it  in 


DISEASES.  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  275 

one   or  two   days    after   calving-   seldom  g^et  better,  but  after  that 
time  there  is  more  chance  of  recovery. 

Symptoms. — At  first  there  is  a  wild,  glary  appearance  of  the 
eyes,  and  when  you  go  to  milk  her  there  will  be  very  little  milk  in 
the  bag,  which,  in  most  cases,  seems  soft  and  flabby.  In  trying 
to  walk  she  has  a  staggering  g^ait.  These  symptoms  will  gradu- 
ally get  worse;  saliva  will  run  from  her  mouth,  and  she  will  seen* 
greatly  excited ;  keeps  staggering,  and  acts  like  a  drunken  man. 
Finally  she  gets  down,  and  is  unable  to  rise;  her  head  is  turned 
around  to  her  side ;  her  ears  are  lopped  over,  and  her  eyes  no"w 
have  a  peculiar,  dull,  glassy  appearance ;  the  pupils  of  the  eyes 
are  enlarged;  she  breathes  a  little  heavy;  her  nose  is  dry,  and 
she  does  not  take  any  notice  of  things  around  her.  If  you  go  tc 
milk  her  only  a  little  will  come  out  at  a  time.  There  is  very  little 
or  no  passage  from  the  bowels,  and  if  you  prick  her  with  a  pin 
she  cannot  feel  it.  A  few  hours  after  this,  if  she  does  not  gel 
relief,  she  becomes  delirious,  moans  heavy,  lies  stretched  out,  and 
keeps  tossing  her  head  about.  The  bag  keeps  getting  softer,  and 
after  a  while,  when  you  try  to  milk  her,  you  cannot  get  any. 
She  gradually  gets  worse  and  soon  dies.  We  will  relate  a  case 
where  a  cow  was  stricken  with  milk  fever,  and  owing  to  the 
distance  we  had  to  go,  when  called  to  treat  the  case,  it  took  four 
hours  to  reach  her  from  the  time  she  took  sick,  and  on  arriving 
she  was  breathing  her  last.  This  shows  the  necessity  of  every 
stockowner  understanding  this  disease  thoroughly,  so  he  can 
treat  them  as  soon  as  they  are  noticed  sick ;  for  this  is  the  only 
way  to  treat  milk  fever  successfully. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  must  be  quick.  If  you  notice 
her  sick  before  she  gets  off^  her  feet,  bleed  her;  take  away  from 
half  a  pail  to  a  pailful  of  blood;  put  her  in  some  shady,  cool  place 
and  give  the  following : 

Epsom  Salts .- 1  pound. 

Bitter  Aloes 2  ounces. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  large  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm   water  and   give   as   a  drench. 

If  you  do  not  bleed  her,  add  to  the  above  drench   ten  to  fifteen 

drops  of  Fleming's  tincture  of  aconite  according  to  how  fat  the 

cow  is;  this   has  a   similar   action  to  bleeding.      As  soon  as  you 

give  the  drench,    blanket   her,   and   apply   five  or  six  pounds  ol 

ice  broken  up,  in  a  bag,  to  her  head  between  the  horns;  this  will 

give  her  great  relief.      After  this,  bathe  the  bag  with  luke  warm 


276  THE  VETEEINAKY  SCIENCE. 

water,    and    if    you    can    ^et    marshmallovy,    steep   some   and   add 

about  two  cuptuls  of  it  to  the  luke  warm  water  you  bath^  the  bag- 

with.      Bathe  the  bag  three  or  four    times  a  day  and  keep  trying 

to  milk  her  as  often  as  you  can  to  get  the  milk  back  to  the  bag 

again.      Apply  a  half-pound  of  mustard,  mixed  with  vinegar,  over 

her  back  every   twelve   hours.      Keep    her   in   a   cool    place,    well 

blanketed,   and   keep  ice  to  her  head;   turn  her  over  from  side  to 

side  every  six  or  seyen  hours  and  follow  up  with  the  following  drench: 

V/hisky    4  pint. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every  five  hours 
imtil  she  gets  relief.  In  milk  fever,  be  very  careful  in  drenching^ 
for,  as  the  cow  is  unconscious,  she  is  easily  choked,  simply  raise 
her  head  enough  to  allow  the  medicine  to  run  back  into  the 
mouth.  If  she  becomes  so  paralyzed  that  she  loses  the  power  of 
swallowing,  do  not  attempt  to  drench  her,  but  keep  on  with  the 
other  treatment  until  she  can  swallow.  On  account  of  the  bowels 
being  paralyzed,  it  is  well  to  clean  out  the  rectum,  or  back  bowel, 
twice  a  day,  by  oiling  your  hand  and  passing  it  up,  and  if  there 
is  anything  there,  clean  it  out.  During  the  time  she  is  sick  allow 
her  to  drink  cold  water,  in  small  quantities,  but  often.  If  the- 
cow  is  going  to  get  better,  after  a  time  she  looks  brighter,  raises 
her  head  and  rests  up  on  her  breastbone;  milks  a  little;  has  a 
passage  from  the  bowels,  and  in  a  few  days  will  get  on  her  feet. 
Never  attempt  to  raise  a  cow  that  has  milk  fever. 

HOW  TO  PREVENT  MILK  FEVER  FROM  COMING  ON. 

If  the  weather  is  hot  and  the  cow  is  in  good  condition,  and 
you  are  afraid  of  milk  fever,  turn  the  cow  into  a  shady  place  every 
day  for  a  week  or  so  before  she  calves ;  feed  very  light  and  allow 
her  to  run  out  at  night,  and  give  her  the  following  medicine: 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

If  she  has  a  very  large  bag  before  she  calves,  milk  her  every 

day;   after  she  calves,  keep  her  In  during  the  day  and  let  her  out 

at  night  for  a  week,  and   keep  her  well   milked   out.      Repeat  the 

above  dose  and  she  will  generally  be  all  right. 

INPLAWMATION  OF  THE  MILK  BAG  (GARGET). 
Causes. — From  getting  cold  in  the  bag;   from  an  injury;  from 
too  great  a  flow  of  milk  at  calving  time:  from  a  lump  in  the  teat: 
or  from  anything  that  will  stop  the  milk   from  being  milked  out  ol 
the  bag. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  277 

Symptoms. — The  cow  seems  feverish ;  the  bag-  is  swollen,  hot 
and  tender;  she  is  very  thirsty,  but  does  not  care  to  eat;  tne 
bowels  are  a  little  costive;  when  you  go  to  milk  her  it  causes  het- 
pain ;  there  is  very  little  milk  in  the  bag;  and,  in  severe  cases, 
nothing-  but  a  little  water  will  come  out.  This  disease  may  affect 
one  quarter,  half  the  bag,  or  all  of  it.  It  is  most  often  seen  in 
cows,  just  after  calving,  that  are  kept  in  high  condition.  If  it  is 
allowed  to  run  on  for  some  time  the  bag  may  fester  and  break, 
while  in  other  cases,  where  there  is  a  great  deal  of  inflammation 
in  the  bag-,  mortification  may  set  in,  and  the  part  mortified  will 
drop  off.  The  mortification  may  extend  up  into  the  body  and 
•cause  her  death. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following: 

Epsom  Salts 2  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tables poonfuls. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  and  repeat 
this  every  second  or  third  day  until  she  is  better.  This  will  carrv 
off  the  fever  out  of  her  system.  Bathe  her  bag  well  with  warm 
water  and  vinegar  three  times  a  day;  after  bathing,  apply  white 
liniment,  and  as  soon  as  the  liniment  is  on,  oil  the  bag  with  lard 
or  goose  oil  to  keep  the  liniment  fro-n  blistering  and  also  to  soften 
the  bag-.  Milk  her  three  or  four  times  a  day  and  feed  light  until 
all  the  soreness  is  out  of  the  bag.  In  cases  where  the  milk  stops 
coming  entirely,  and  the  bag  is  festering,  watch  for  a  soft  place 
in  the  swelling,  and,  as  soon  as  it  forms,  lance  it  and  let  the 
matter  out.  After  you  lance  the  bag,  if  it  smells  bad,  put  a  few 
drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  the  water  that  you  bathe  it  with;  this 
will  kill  the  smell  and  clean  the  wound  or  hole.  The  rest  of  the 
treatment  is  the  same  as  given  above.  In  case  the  bag  mortifies, 
give  it  lots  of  bathing  with  the  hot  carbolic  water,  as  above 
mentioned,  three  times  a  day,  then  apply  the  white  lotion,  and 
give  the  drench  mentioned  above  once  a  week  instead  of  every 
second  day;  the  mortified  part  of  the  bag  will  gradually  rot  away 
and  heal  up. 

SMALL  ROUND  LUMPS  IN  THE  PASSAGE  OF  THE  TEAT. 

Causes. — From  a  bruise  or  injury  to  the  passage  of  the  teat 
in  some  way,  and  when  it  is  healing  the  thickening  or  lump  forms. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  small  lump  in  the  teat  which  can  be 
felt  between  your  finger  and  thumb  when  you  are  handling  the 
leat.      These  lumps  may  be  anywhere  along  the   milk   passage  of 


278  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

the  teat.  The  first  summer  the  cow  is  affected  with  these  lumps 
in  the  teat  they  interfere  greatly  with  your  milking  her,  but  if  she 
is  bred  again  when  she  calves  these  lumps  will  entirely  block 
the  teat  and  give  you  a  great  deal  of  trouble  for  you  cannot  get  the 
milk  down,  and  the  bag  becomes  swollen  and  inflamed,  and  in  a 
great  many  cases  she  loses  the  affected  quarter. 

Treatment. — Generally,  the  first  season  they  are  affected  with 
it,  you  can  get  the  milk  out  all  right,  but  it  is  advisable  not  to  breed 
the  cow  again  but  let  her  go  dry  and  fatten  her,  for  she  will  be 
worse  next  summer.  When  you  cannot  get  the  milk  down 
with  your  fingers  pass  a  teat  syphon  or  milk  tube  up  the  pas- 
sage of  the  teat  through  the  lump  far  enough  to  reach  the  milk,  and 
then  the  milk  will  run  till  the  quarter  is  milked  out.  Use  the- 
tube  each  time  you  are  milking  the  other  teats.  These  teat 
syphons  can  be  got  at  almost  any  drug  store  or  veterinary  instru- 
ment store  for  about  10  or  15  cents.  The  way  to  use  the  tube  is 
to  first  tie  a  colored  string  in  the  small  ring  at  the  side  so  you 
won't  lose  it  if  it  drops  out  in  the  straw,  then  oil  it;  take  hold  of 
the  teat  with  your  left  hand  and  with  your  right  hand  pass  the 
teat  syphon  up  through  the  passage  to  the  lump,  and  when  you 
come  to  it  gradually  force  it  through,  which  is  easily  done;  con- 
tinue passing  it  gently  up  until  the  milk  runs  out,  and  leave  it  in 
until  all  the  milk  is  out.  Bathe  the  bag  twice  a  day  with  warm 
water  and  vinegar,  after  bathing  apply  white  liniment  and  then 
oil  the  bag  with  lard  to  keep  it  soft.  It  is  advisable  in  very 
bad    cases   to  let  that    quarter  of  the    bag  go    dry    as    soon    as- 

you  can. 

BLOODY  MILK. 

Causes. — From   any  injury  to   the   bag,  getting  cold   in   it,  or- 

from  eating  irritating  weeds. 

Treatment.— Give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  ;; 
give  a  teaspoonful  of  saltpetre  in  a  mash  every  night.  After  milk- 
ing bathe  the  bag  with  warm  water,  wipe  dry  and  apply  white 
liniment,  then  oil  the  bag  with  lard  or  goose  grease,  and  the- 
milk  will  soon  get  all  right.  If  you  think  it  is  caused  from  eating 
irritating  plants  put  the  cow  in  another  pasture. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  279 

BLUE  MILK. 

This  is  where  the  milk  is  watery  looking-  and  very  blue. 

Causes. — From  little  gferms,  called  bacillus  cyanog-enus,  get- 
ting up  into  the  teat.  The  only  way  to  be  sure  it  is  caused  by 
these  germs  is  to  examine  the  milk  with  a  microscope. 

Treatment. — With   a    small   glass   syringe    inserted    into    the 

passage  of  the  teat  inject   some   of  the    following  each  time  after 

milking  : 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda 1  dram. 

VVater , 1  pint. 

Shake  well   before   injecting,    and   after  a   few   injections   the 

milk  will  be  all  right. 

STRINGY  MILK. 

Causes. — From  swallowing  small  germs  while  drinking  out  of 
stagnant  pools  of  water. 

Symptoms. — A  few  days  after  the  germs  are  swallowed  the 
cow's  milk  will  be  curdy  and  stringy  looking,  mixed  with  water, 
and  will  come  out  in  jerks  when  milking.  It  will  be  like  this  for 
a  few  days,  then  get  all  right  for  a  week  or  so  when  it  will  come 
on  again.  Generally  two  or  three  cows  out  of  a  large  herd  will 
be  affected  in  the  same  way. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  caused  from  drinking  out  of  low  springs 
or  pools  keep  the  cows  away  from  the  water  by  fencing  it  off,  and 
give  two  drams,  or  one  teaspoonful  of  bisulphite  of  soda  in  a  mash  ' 
every  night,  which  will  soon  make  the  milk  all  right,  and  the  dis- 
ease will  not  come  back  on  her  again. 

CHAPPED  OR  SORE  TEATS. 

Causes. — This  is  caused  from  milking  with  rough  hands;  or 
from  the  cow  running  through  long  grass  and  wetting  and  irritat- 
ing the  teat;  or  it  may  be  caused  from  flies. 

Treatment. — Each    time    before  milking   wash   the    teats  off 

with  luke  warm  water  and   a  little   castile  soap,  then  after  you 

have  milked  her  rub  the  teats  with  the  following  salve  : 

Vaseline 2  ounces 

Oxide  of  Zinc 1  dram. 

Carbolic    Acid 10  drops. 

Mix  well  together  and  put  in  a  box  large  enough  to  hold  it. 
This  is  a  cheap  and  a  grand  healing  salve  for  any  kind  of  sores 
around  the  bag. 


280  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

SMALL  WARTS  ON  THE  TEATS. 

These  are  very  troublesome  when  you  are  milkhig,  but  are 
very  easily  got  rid  of  if  you  take  the  right  plan. 

Treatment. — After  the  cow  is  put  dry  is  the  best  time  to  treat. 
Tie  the  cow  up  and  hobble  her  two  hind  leg's  together  above  the 
hocks  with  a  strap  so  she  cannot  kick  you,  then  with  a  pair  of 
large,  sharp  scissors  clip  all  the  warts  off  as  close  as  you 
can  to  the  teat.  By  cutting  them  off  with  scissors  they  will  not 
bleed.  After  they  are  taken  off  dress  them  once  a  day  with  the 
same  salve  used  for  chapped  teats  and  they  will  not  come  on 
again,  but  if  they  should  come  on  the  next  year  use  the  same 
treatment  again. 

CUTS  AND  FISTULA  OF  THE  TEAT. 

This  is  when  the  teat  has  been  cut  deep  enough  to  cut  the 
milk  passage,  which  allows  the  milk  to  keep  dripping  out  through 
the  hole. 

Treatment. — If  the  cut  is  big  sew  it  up  with  a  needle  used  for 
sewing  wounds ;  bathe  with  warm  water  and  apply  white  lotion 
every  time  after  milking.  The  best  way  to  milk  a  cow  while  the 
teats  are  sore  is  to  insert  a  teat  syphon,  or  milk  tube,  up  into  the 
teat,  and  this  will  let  the  milk  run  out  without  irritating  the  teat; 
sometimes  after  it  is  healed  up  ther'e  will  be  a  small  hole  in  the 
side  of  the  teat,  which  will  allow  the  milk  to  leak  out  while  you  are 
milking.  The  best  way  to  fix  this  is  after  she  has  gone  dry  burn 
the  hole  with  a  pointed  stick  of  caustic  potash,  which  destroys  the 
fistula,  then  while  it  is  healing  up  the  hole  will  disappear  and  be 
all  right  the  next  time  she  calves. 

COW  POX. 

This  is  often  seen  in  cow,  and  affects  herds  in  all  parts  of 
the  world.  It  is  somewhat  similar  to  smallpox  in  people  only  it  is 
not  nearly  so  fatal.  This  is  an  infectious  disease,  that  is,  it  can 
be  carried  from  one  cow  to  another.  For  instance,  one  man 
milking  eight  or  ten  cows  and  only  one  has  the  disease  at  first,  he 
will  carry  the  disease  to  all  the  others  by  milking  them. 

Symptoms. — The  cow  seems  feverish  and  does  not  give  quite 
so  much  milk,  In  a  few  days,  little  red,  pimple-like  spots  appear 
around  the  teats.  In  a  day  or  so  more,  these  red  spots  will  rise 
up  in  the  form  of  a  blister,  which  contains  a  watery  fluid.  If  these 
ire  not  broken  during  milking,  they  dry  up  themselves  and  form 
scabs,     which,     in     a    few     days,     drop     off,     leaving    the      teat 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  281 

natural.      It  generally  takes  this  disease  from  eig-ht  to  ten  days  to 

run  its  course;   but   sometimes,  when  the  blisters  on  the  teats  are 

broken  by    the   milker's   hand  and   kept   irritated   by   milking,   or 

from  flies,  it  takes  a  long  time  to  heal  them  up. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  cow  separate  from  the  others,  and  allow 

only  one  person  to  milk  her,  and  no  other,  so  as  to  keep  the  disease 

from  spreading,  if  in  the  spring,  only  let  her  have  grass;  if  in  any 

other  time  of  the  year,  feed  on  soft  food  with  boiled  flax  seed  in  it, 

and  give  the  following  powders  for  her  blood  and  kidneys : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Sulphur J       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root k       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful    night   and   morning 

in  a  mash.      Each  time  before  milking  her,  bathe  the  teats  with 

luke  warm  water  and    soap,  then    milk   her  carefully  and  use  the 

following  preparation  : 

Sweet  Oil , 4  ounces. 

Carbolic  Acid 10  drops. 

Mix  and  apply  to  the  sore  parts  of  the  teats  each  time  after 

milking. 

COWS  LOSING  THEIR  CALVES  (ABORTION). 

CauseS.^This  generally  occurs  from  slipping  on  ice;  being 
chased  by  a  dog;  or  from  the  hook  of  another  animal. 

Symptoms. — Labor  pains  come  on;  she  will  get  up  and  down; 
the  water  bag  appears  and  breaks;  and  if  the  calf  is  coming 
straight,  it  soon  appears  and  comes  away  all  right. 

Treatment. — If  the  cow  keeps  on  straining,  and  the  calf  does 

not  come,  oil  your  hand,  pass  it  up  into  the  womb  and  straighten 

the  calf,  and  it  will  come  away  all  right.      After  the  calf  is  taken 

dwa}',  cover  her  up  warm,  and  if  she  does  not  seem  very  well  give 

her  the  following: 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Epsom  Salts ]  pound. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.      If  the 

cleaning  does  not  come  away,  use  the  same  treatment  as  is  given  in 

"How  to  take  away  the  cleanings  from  a  cow,"     After  this,  feed 

on  soft  food,  keep  her  warm  and  milk  her  twice  a  day;  this  will 

bring  her  back  to  her  milk. 

BARRENNESS  IN  COWS  AND  BULLS. 

This  is  a  common  thing  in  well-bred  cows,  especially  in 
Jerseys. 

Causes. — From  their  being  kept  in  too  high  condition;  from  a 
diseased  state  of  the  ovaries;  contracted  or  diseased  state  of  the  neck 


282  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

of  the  womb;  the  womb  being  deformed,  such  as  the  neck  being- 
twisted  to  one  side;  or  where  there  is  twin  heifers  one  or  the  other 
will  be  barren.  Bulls  or  cows  that  are  too  closely  inbred  in  the 
same  line  of  breeding  for  several  generations  may  become  barren,  or 
what  is  known  as  run  out;  it  is  also  caused  in  bulls  sometimes  from 
fatty  degeneration  of  the  testicles — mostly  seen  in  old  bulls — and, 
also,  rig  bulls  (that  is,  where  only  one  or  neither  of  the  testicles  are 
down  in  the  scrotom)  are  sometimes  barren.  This  rule  also  holds 
good  in  horses. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  caused  from  being  in  high  condition  bleed 
her,  take  a  half  pail  of  blood  away  the  day  before  taking  her 
to  the  bull,  or  give  her  a  physic  of  one  and  a  half  pounds  of  Epsom 
salts  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  as  a  drench.  The  idea  of  this 
is  to  cool  her  blood.  Examine  her,  and  if  it  is  from  contraction  of 
the  neck  of  the  womb,  pass  your  hand  up  gently  and  open  it  by 
working  your  fingers  in  it  ;  if  it  is  from  the  neck  of  the  womb 
being  to  one  side,  straighten  it.  In  doing  this  have  your  hand  and 
arm  oiled.  In  either  of  these  cases  put  the  cow  to  the  bull  im- 
mediately after  fixing  it.  If  it  is  from  inbreeding  try  and  start 
her  to  breed  by  putting  her  to  a  mongrel  bred  bull.  There  cannot 
be  much  done  for  a  barren  bull. 


CHAPTER  V. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  GENITAL  ORGANS  OF 
THE  BULL. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TESTICLES  (ORCHITIS). 

Causes. — It  is  generally  from  an  injury,  or  from  serving  too 
many  cows. 

Symptoms. — The  bull  moves  stiff  and  has  a  straddling  gait, 
the  testicles  are  swollen  and  very  tender. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts IJ  pounds. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.  Bathe 
the  testicles  well  with  hot  water  and  vinegar  and  apply  a  poultice  of 
hot  linseed  meal  and  bran,  about  half  and  half.  Have  the  poultice 
held  up  to  the  bag  by  means  of  strings  tied  up  over  the  back  and  it 
will  give  steady  heat  to  the  bag  and  draw  the  inflammation  out;  it 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  28a 

will  also  support  the  testicles  and  ease  the  pain  ;  keep  the  poultices 
hot  by  changing  them  twice  a  day  ;  keep  this  treatment  up  until  the 
bull  is  better,  and  do  not  let  him  get  cold  afterward.  During 
the  time  you  are  treating  him  feed  on  soft  food  and  he  will  soon  be 
all  right.  If,  after  he  is  well,  you  find  that  the  inflammation  has 
destroyed  the  seed  part  of  the  testicles — which  can  be  told  by 
putting  him  to  cows  and  if  they  do  not  get  with  calf — castrate 
him,  for  he  will  be  of  no  further  use  for  breeding  purposes. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  SHEATH  AND  PENIS. 

Causes. — From  jumping  over  a  fence  and  being  caught  on  it, 
or  being  caught  in  any  way  that  will  injure  the  sheath  and  penis. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  and  soreness  of  the  sheath  and 
penis.      If  it  is  a  bull  he  will  be  unfit  for  service  until  he  is  better. 

Treatment. — Examine  to  see  that  there  is  nothing  in  the  end 
of  the  sheath,  and  if  there  is  anything  remove  it  at  once.  Bathe 
well  three  times  a  day  with  luke  warm  water,  wipe  dry  and  then 
apply  the  white  lotion.  Keep  this  treatment  up  until  the  swelling 
is  all  out.      In  very  severe  cases  give  him  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts. 

CLAPP  IN  BULLS  (GONORRHCEA). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  passage  of  the  penis. 

Causes. — -From  too  frequent  service,  or  from  serving  a  cow 
that  is  afi"ected  with  whites  (leucorrhoea). 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  whitish  fluid  discharge  from  the  end 
of  the  penis  and  sheath,  and  they  are  also  very  sore  to  handle, 
and  in  making  his  water  it  scalds  him  and  causes  him  pain. 

Treatment. — Give  him  one  pound  of  Epsom  salts  in  a  quart  of 

luke  warm  water  as  a  drench  to  cool  the  blood  ;  bathe  the  sheath 

well    with   luke   warm   water    twice  a    day,   wipe  dry,    and   inject 

into  the  sheath  a  little  of  the  following  mixture  : 

Sulphate  of  Zinc 2  drams  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Water 1  pint. 

Mix    and    shake    well    before    using.     This    is    a   cheap    and 

effective  cure  for  this   disease.      Keep   the   bull   away   from   cows 

until  he  is  better,  as  he  would  give  the  disease  to  the  cows. 

CASTRATION  OF  BULLS  AND  CALVES. 

Secure  him,  either  by  standing  him  in  a  firm  stall  or  throwing 
him  down,  which  can  be  easily  done  by  taking  a  rope  about  thirty 
feet  long,  make  a  loop  in  the  centre  large  enough  to  slip  over  his 
head  and  neck  and  then  tie  a  knot  in  it;  after  the  rope  is  put  over 
his  head  and  fitted  on  the  neck,   pass  it  back   between   the   front 


284  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

leg's  and  bring  the  ends  of  it  back  one  on  each  side  around  the  outside 
of  the  hind  leg's,  and  back  around  the  inside  just  above  the  hock, 
then  bring  them  forward  on  the  outside  of  the  front  legs  through  the 
loop;  have  a  man  on  each  side  to  pull  on  the  ropes,  which  will 
soon  throw  him  down,  then  tie  him  up  solid.  This  is  the  best 
method  known  for  throwing  cattle.  As  soon  as  you  have  secured 
him,  take  a  sharp  knife  and  make  a  cut  along  the  side  of  the  bag 
large  enough  to  let  the  testicle  out;  be  sure  the  cut  extends  to  the 
bottom  of  the  bag  so  it  will  not  form  a  pocket..  As  soon  as  you 
have  let  the  testicle  out,  draw  it  well  up  and  you  will  notice  a 
white  covering  attached  to  the  back  part  of  it,  cut  this  off  close  to 
the  testicle  with  your  knife,  then  you  can  pull  up  the  testicle  and 
cord  free;  after  this,  pull  the  testicle  and  cord  well  up,  and  if  the 
bull  is  over  a  year  old,  tie  the  cord  with  a  strong,  fine  piece  of 
string  about  four  inches  above  the  testicle,  leaving  the  ends  of  the 
string  six  or  eight  inches  long  so  they  will  hang  out  of  the  bag  and 
not  heal  up  in  it;  leave  this  string  on  until  it  drops  off  itself;  cut 
the  testicles  off  below  the  strings;  fill  the  holes  full  of  salty  butter 
and  let  him  go.  The  reason  the  string  is  tied  on  the  cord  when 
the  animal  is  one  year  old  and  upwards  is  because  there  is  danger 
of  him  bleeding  to  death  from  the  cords.  The  operation  of 
castrating  a  bull  standing  up  is  done  by  securing  him  in  a  solid, 
narrow  stall  and  operating  in  the  same  manner  as  you  would  if  he 
was  lying  down. 

The  way  to  castrate  a  calf  is  to  tie  him  or  have  some  person 
hold  him;  make  the  cuts  in  the  bag  the  same  as  for  castrating 
bulls;  when  the  testicle  is  out,  separate  the  covering  attached  to 
the  back  part  of  the  testicle  with  your  knife;  then  draw  the  cord  and 
testicle  well  up,  and  with  your  knife  scrape  up  and  down  on  the 
cord  until  it  is  scraped  off,  this  will  stop  the  bleeding;  fill  the 
holes  full  of  salty  butter  and  let  him  go.  The  main  thing  after 
castrating  bulls,  bull  calves,  boars  and  dogs  is  to  keep  them  away 
from  dampness,  and  if  they  swell,  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  and 
soap  and  open  up  the  cuts  with  salty  butter  on  your  finger.  If  it 
swells  very  much,  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  and  salt  three 
times  a  day,  and  after  bathing  apply  white  lotion.  Sometimes,  a 
few  weeks  after  the  cuts  are  healed  up,  the  bag  swells  and  becomes 
very  sore  and  hot;  in  this  case  you  may  know  there  is  matter 
forming  in  the  bag.  Bathe  well  three  times  a  day  with  luke  warm 
water;  after  bathing  apply  white  lotion  and  put  on  a  hot.  poultice 
of  half  linseed  meal  and  half  bran  ;  fasten  the  poultice  on  by  means 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  285- 

of  sfring-s  over  the  back;  this  is  to  bring  the  festering  to  a  head. 
Change  the  poultice  every  time  you  bathe  the  bag.  As  soon  as 
you  find  a  soft  spot  in  the  bag,  lance  it  to  let  the  matter  out; 
make  a  good  sized  hole  in  it,  large  enough  to  run  your  finger  up 
into  it  to  clean  it  out.  After  this,  treat  by  bathing  with  luke 
warm  water  and  soap  and  applying  the  white  lotion  twice  a  day  ; 
keep  the  cuts  open  by  putting  butter  on  your  finger  and  running 
it  up  into  the  hole  once  a  day  until  it  commences  to  heal. 
RIG  OR  ORIGINAL  BULLS. 

This  is  when  one  or  both  the  testicles  never  come  down  into 
the  scrotom,  or  bag.  These  kind  of  bulls  cannot  be  castrated  like 
horses,  and  after  they  get  a  little  age  on  them  they  become  a  per- 
fect nuisance. 

Advice. — When  you  go  to  castrate  a  calf  and  find  only  one  or 
neither  testicles  are  down,  fatten  and  get  rid  of  it,  for  it  very 
rarely  comes  down  afterwards.  It  will  save  you  a  lot  of  trouble  if 
you  get  rid  of  it  while  young. 

HOW  TO  RING  A  BULL. 

Secure  the  animal  by  throwing  him,  or  having  him  in  a  solid,, 
narrow  stall  ;  take  a  piece  of  sharp-pointed,  clean,  hard  wood,  or 
a  sharp  piece  of  bright  steel  large  enough  to  make  a  hole  for  the 
ring  ;  put  the  hole  through  in  the  soft  part  of  the  nose,  just  in 
front  of  the  hard  cartilage  that  separates  the  nostrils,  which  is 
easily  felt.  After  the  hole  is  through,  open  and  oil  the  ring,  slijv 
it  through,  close  it  and  put  in  the  screw.  After  the  ring  is  in  turn 
it  every  day  until  the  wound  is  healed.  These  rings  can  be  got 
at  any  hardware  store. 

SWELLING  OF  THE  POINT  OF  SHEATH  IN  STEERS. 

Causes. — It  is  mostly  seen  where  they  are  grazing  on  a  pasture 
field  where  there  is  a  lot  of  limestone,  or  when  there  is  much  lime 
in  the  water  they  drink,  and  on  account  of  the  steer  not  putting 
out  his  penis  while  making  water,  just  letting  it  dribble  out  of 
the  sheath,  the  lime  in  his  water  collects  and  forms  a  small 
limestone  which  soon  gets  large  and  irritates  the  sheath,  causing 
it  to  swell. 

Treatment. — If  he  is  a  quiet  steer,  let  him  stand,  and  have 
someone  to  hold  him  by  the  horn  and  nose,  while  you,  with  your 
fingers  oiled,  pass  one  of  them  up  into  the  sheath,  and  by  working 
the  stone  around  you  can  soon  remove  it,  then  oil  the  sheath 
inside  and  outside  with  lard  and  it  will  be  all  right.  In  case  you 
cannot  do  this  with  the  steer  standing  up,  throw  him  down  and 
secure  him  as  for  castration  and  remove  it  in  the  same  way. 


286  THE  VETERINAKY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  EAR  AND  EYE. 

Diseases  of  the  ear  of  the  ox  are  very  rarely  met  with,  and 
are  similar  to  those  of  the  horse,  and  for  any  information  concern- 
ing them  refer  to  diseases  of  the  ear  in  the  horse. 

CANCER  IN  THE  EYE. 

The  eye  of  the  ox  seems  to  be  a  favorite  place  for  cancers 
and  is  very  often  met  with. 

Causes. — The  causes  of  it  are  the  same  as  other  cancers,  that 
is,  the  cancer  germs  get  into  the  blood,  for  the  disease  first  begins 
in  the  blood,  but  afterward  locates  and  shows  itself  in  the  eye, 
although  some  say  it  will  come  on  from  an  injury. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptom  is  dullness  of  the  eye,  with 
tears  flowing  from  the  corners  ;  there  will  be  a  bulging  out  of  the 
eye,  and  if  you  look  close  you  will  see  in  the  back  part  of  the  eye  a 
small  growth  ;  the  animal  may  thrive  fairly  well  for  a  while,  but 
will  fall  off  in  condition  as  the  growth  comes  on  account  of  the 
pain  in  the  eye  ;  soon  the  growth  gets  so  large  that  it  will  destroy 
the  whole  eye  and  hang  down  on  the  cheek ;  it  gets  very 
angry  and  red  looking,  and  will  bleed  freely  if  the  least  thing 
touches  it;  the  cancer  keeps  on  growing,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
bones  around  the  eye  become  diseased,  and  when  they  become  dis- 
eased, they  also  become  enlarged,  and  have  a  very  bad  smell. 

Treatment. — By  removing  the  eye  in  the  early  stages  of  the 
disease  you  can  effect  a  cure.  This  is  done  by  throwing  and 
securing  the  animal  ;  have  the  head  held  solid,  and  with  a  knife 
cut  around  the  eye  and  loosen  it  from  the  eyelids,  then  stick  a 
small  hook  into  the  eye  and  pull  it  out  as  far  as  you  can,  then 
take  a  piece  of  carriage  trimmers'  twine  and  slip  it  around  the 
back  part  of  the  eye  and  tie  it  tight — this  will  stop  the  bleeding — 
then  cut  the  eye  off  in  front  of  where  you  tied  the  string  ;  saturate 
a  piece  of  cotton  batting  with  Monsell's  solution  of  iron  and  insert 
it  in  the  hole  where  the  eye  came  out  of;  take  the  batting  out  the 
next  day  and  bathe  the  eye  twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water  and 
soap,  after  bathing  apply  white  lotion  ;  if  the  parts  are  raw  and 
angry  looking  touch  the  spots  with  caustic  potash  every  day. 
This  may  effect  a  cure,  but  in  a  case  where  it  grows  again,  or 
where  the  growth  is  very  bad  before  operating,  or  the  bones  dis- 
eased, have  the  animal  destroyed  immediately. 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  287 

FOREIGN  SUBSTANCES  IN  THE  EYE. 

Sometimes  chaff,  barley-beards  or  small  pieces  of  stick  get 
into  the  eye  and  become  lodged  there. 

Symptoms. ^The  animal  suffers  very  much  ;  tears  run  down 
Dver  the  cheek  ;  the  eye  becomes  very  much  inflamed  and  dim,  and 
if  allowed  to  run  on  the  sight  will  soon  become  covered  with  a 
white  scum.  If  you  catch  the  animal  and  examine  the  eye  closely 
you  will  find  out  what  is  in  it. 

Treatment. — In  all  cases  catch  the  animal  and  examine  the 
eye  closely,  and  when  you  find  out  the  cause  of  the  trouble  remove 
it,  then  bathe  the  eye  every  day  with  new  milk  or  luke  warm 
ivater;  wipe  dry  and  apply,  in  and  around  the  eye  every  time  a'fter 
bathing,  the  eye  wash  mentioned  in  the  receipts  at  the  back  of 
;his  book.  Keep  this  treatment  up  till  the  eye  is  better. 
A  GROWTH  ON  THE  HAW  OF  THE  EYE. 

This  is  a  red  growth  in  the  irmer  corner  of  the  eye,  caused  by 
some  irritation  of  the  haw  of  the  eye,  which  is  a  piece  of  cartilage 
or  tough  membrane  that  fits  across  the  inner  corner  of  the  eye. 

Symptoms. — At  first  the  eye  looks  sore  and  angry  in  the  inner 
:orner  and  runs  water  freely,  afterwards  followed  by  the  red, 
angry  looking  growth  growing  out  of  the  corner  of  the  eye.  The 
jrowth  may  vary  from  the  size  of  a  marble   to  a  small  hen's  egg. 

Treatment. — Secure  the  animal  by  throwing  it  the  same  as 
mentioned  for  castrating  bulls.  Have  the  head  held  firmly  on  the 
g-round,  take  hold  of  the  growth  with  a  small  hook,  or  anything 
:hat  you  can  hold  it  with  ;  pull  the  growth  out  of  the  eye  far 
enough  to  get  under  it  with  a  pair  of  scissors  and  clip  it  off  ;  there 
IS  usually  very  little  bleeding  or  trouble  with  it  afterward  ;  bathe 
ihe  eye  with  new  milk  once  a  day,  wipe  dry  and  apply  the  eye 
kvash. 

SORE  OR  INFLAMED  EYES  IN  CATTLE. 

Causes. — From  getting  cold  in  the  eyes  or  from  an  injury. 

Symptoms. — Tears  run  freely,  and  the  eyes  are  very  weak  and 
red  looking,  and  if  not  relieved  a  scum  soon  forms  over  the  sight 
of  the  eye. 

Treatment. — Bathe  well  twice  a  day  with  new  milk  or  luke 
warm  water,  and  each  time  after  bathing  wipe  dry  and  apply  the 
eye  wash. 

CATARACT  OF  THE  EYE  IN  CATTLE. 

This  is  very  rarely  met  with  in  cattle,  and  for  information  re- 
garding it  look  up  cataract  of  the  eye  in  horses,  for  the  causes, 
symptoms  and  treatment  are  the  same. 


288  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

INJURIES  TO  THE  EYELIDS. 

It  may  occur  in  a  good  many  ways,  as  a  kick  from  a  horse,  a 
hook  from  a  cow,  or  from  catching  on  something. 

Treatment. — If  they  are  torn  much  stitch  them  up  with  a 
sewing  needle,  used  to  sew  up  wounds,  and  carriage  trimmers' 
twine,  which  is  the  best  twine  for  this  work,  and  treat  it  after- 
wards by  bathing  with  new  milk  or  luke  warmSvater  and  applying 
the  eye  wash.  Do  this  twice  day  and  it  will  soon  heal  up  and  the 
stitches  will  work  out  themselves. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FRACTURED  BONES,  WOUNDS,  SPRAINS  OF 
JOINTS  AND  TENDONS. 

FRACTURED  BONES. 
Fractures  occur  in  various  ways,  from  the  kick  of  a  horse,^ 
getting  caught  on  a  fence  while  jumping,  falling,  being  chased  by 
dogs,  or  being  struck  with  anything  hard  enough  to  fracture  a 
bone.  As  a  rule,  when  the  fracture  is  so  bad  that  the  bone  is 
shattered,  or  a  piece  of  the  bone  is  stuck  through  the  skin,  it  is 
best  to  destroy  the  animal,  and  if  it  is  fat  enough  it  makes  good 
beef,  provided  it  is  killed  in  time. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  LOWER  JAW. 

This  is  a  fracture  that  generally  occurs  from  a  kick  or  a  blow 
of  some  kind,  and  is  first  noticed  by  the  animal  not  being  able.to- 
eat,  and  the  mouth  will  seem  crooked.  It  is  recommended  in 
cases  of  this  kind  to  set  the  jaw  in  place,  and  have  it  held  there 
with  wire  fastened  around  the  teeth  in  the  jaw.  This  can  be  done 
better  if  it  is  the  front  of  the  jaw  that  is  fractured.  When  you 
have  set  the  jaw  with  wires  feed  on  soft  food,  such  as  gruels,  that 
the  animal  can  drink  down.  If  the  animal  is  fit  to  kill  it  is  best 
to  butcher  it. 

BROKEN  NECK  OR  FRACTURE  OF  THE  NECK  BONES. 

To  show  how  simple  this  may  occur  we  will  relate  a  case  that 
came  under  our  own  personal  observation.  A  cow  that  had  been 
kept  in  the  stable  during  the  winter  and  fed  well  was  let  out  one 
day  by  the  owner,  and  she,  feeling  good,  was  playing  about  when 
the  dog  was  put  after  her,  and  while  running  away  from  the  dog 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  289 

she  kicked  up  her  hind  feet  and  lowered  her  head,  in  doing 
this  she  caught  her  nose  on  the  ground,  which  threw  her 
over  ontc  her  head  and  neck.  We  heard  the  bone  snap,  and 
by  the  time  we  got  to  her  she  was  dead.  On  examining  her  we 
found  that  one  of  the  bones  of  the  neck  was  broken  in  the  fall, 
which  caused  her  death  instantly.  In  any  case  where  the  bones 
of  the  neck  are  fractured  enough  to  press  on  the  spinal  cord  it 
will  cause  death  instantly. 

FRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  BACK. 

This  may  occur  from  something  falling  on  the  animal,  or  by 
slipping  and  falling,  or  from  another  animal  jumping  on  it  while 
standing  crooked. 

Symptoms. — There  is  paralysis  of  the  hind  quarters,  attended 
with  pain  ;  the  animal  will  moan  and  refuses  to  eat  anything. 
In  severe  cases  the  back  will  be  swollen,  and  the  mark  of  what 
caused  the  fracture  can  be  seen. 

Treatment. — it  is  best  to  kill  the  animal,  but  if  you  wish  to 
trv  to  treat  it,  keep  it  quiet,  feed  on  soft  food  and  keep  the  bowels 
regulated  by  giving  small  doses  of  salts  ;  turn  it  from  side  to  side 
twice  a  day,  and  be  careful  while  turning  it  not  to  hurt  its  back. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  BONES  OF  THE  HIP. 
In  some  cases  we  have  a  hip  knocked  down  from  a  blow,  or 
from  running  through  a  narrow  doorway  and  striking  the  hip. 
This  is  not  dangerous,  only  it  spoils  the  look  of  the  animal  when 
its  hip  is  knocked  down.  If  it  is  sore  after  being  knocked  down 
bathe  twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water  and  apply  white  liniment 
until  the  soreness  is  out ;  if  the  bone  heals  all  right  do  nothing 
more  to  it.  Sometimes  we  have  a  case  where  the  broken  piece  of 
bone  does  not  heal  to  the  other  ;  it  soon  begins  to  fester  around 
it,  and  the  parts  become  swollen  and  sore.  You  must  then  open 
it  with  a  sharp  knife  and  remove  the  broken  piece  of  bone.  Frac- 
ture of  the  under  part  of  the  hip  bones  generally  occurs  from  the 
animal  slipping  on  ice  when  the  legs  straddle  out.  As  soon  as  it 
gets  up  it  walks  off  very  stiff,  and  the  legs  are  straddled  out  be- 
hind while  walking  or  standing.  The  treatment  for  this  is  to 
keep  the  animal  very  quiet  by  tying  it  in  a  stall  until  the  bones 
unite,  which  generally  takes  four  or  five  weeks. 

—19— 


290  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

FRACTURES  Or  THE  RIBS. 

This  is  always  the  result  of  a  kick  or  a  blow  of  some  kind. 
In  a  severe  case  the  animal  cannot  raise  to  its  feet  ;  there  will  be 
a  dinge  in  the  side,  and  on  shoving"  it  in  and  out  you  can  hear  the 
bones  grating  on  each  other,  lx^  slight  cases  the  animal  will  be 
able  to  get  up  all  right,  but  will  be  stiff  and  sore.  In  most  of 
these  cases  the  animal  will  cough  a  little,  and  breathe  short  and 
quick. 

Treatment. — All  that  is  needed  is  quietness,  good  care  and 
food.  If  the  animal  is  not  able  to  raise  turn  it  over  from  side 
to  side  twice  a  day.  If  the  rib  is  broken  so  bad  that  it  penetrates 
the  lung  and  sets  up  inflammation  there  is  no  hope  of  recovery. 

FRACTURE  OF  THE  SHOULDER  BLADE  OR  SHOULDER  BONE. 

Fracture  of  these  bones  is  indicated  by  the  extreme  lameness 
and  pain  it  causes  the  animal,  and  on  moving  the  leg  you  can 
hear  the  bones  grating  on  each  other.  In  a  case  of  this  kind  it  is 
best  to  destroy  the  animal,  but  if  the  fracture  is  not  so  severe,  and 
it  is  a  young  animal,  keep  it  very  quiet  and  feed  well,  and  it  will 
come  all  right  in  the  couse  of  time.  The  less  you  bother  with  it 
the  better. 

FRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  BELOW  THE  KNEE. 

There  is  crookedness  of  the  leg,  lameness  and  extreme  pain, 
and  when  you  move  the  leg  you  can  hear  the  bones  grating  on 
each  other. 

Treatment — Get  the  animal  in  a  quiet  place,  set  the  leg  in 
shape,  and  have  some  one  to  hold  it  while  you  bandage  it  with  a 
starched  bandage,  which  is  a  long  strip  of  cotton  dipped  in  starch 
used  for  starching  clothes.  On  drawing  the  bandage  out  of  the 
starch  draw  it  between  your  fingers  to  clean  out  as  much  of  the 
starch  as  you  can,  then  wrap  it  moderately  tight  around  the  leg, 
put  lots  of  the  bandage  on,  and  have  some  one  to  hold  the 
leg  and  bandage  straight  for  an  hour  or  so  until  the  starch 
hardens  the  bandage.  After  that  the  bandage  will  hold  the  leg  to 
its  place.  Leave  it  on  four  or  five  weeks  until  the  bones  are 
healed.  Keep  the  animal  quiet  until  the  bones  are  well  knit 
together.  If  the  leg  should  swell  with  this  bandage  take  it  off 
and  put  it  on  looser. 

Fractures  above  the  knee  are  sometimes  treated  by  this 
method,  but  not  nearly  so  successfully. 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  291 

PRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  ABOVE  AND  BELOW  THE  STIFFLE  JOINT. 

The  animal  may  not  able  to  stand,  but  if  it  is  the  leg  will  be 
hanging  Icose.  By  moving  the  leg  you  can  hear  the  broken  bones 
-grate  on  each  other. 

Treatment. — In   very   severe   cases   it   is   best   to    destroy  the 

animal,  or,  if  is  a  fat  animal,  kill    it   for  beef.      If  you   attempt  to 

treat  it  you  vi^ill  not  be  able  to  do  anything  for  it  only  keep  the  animal 

quiet,    and    leave    it    lying    down    or    standing  up,    whichever    it 

prefers. 

STIFFLE  OUT  IN  CATTLE. 

For  this  disease  we  refer  you  to  dislocation  of  the  patella 
(stiffle  out)  in  horses,  for  the  causes,  symptoms  and  treatment  are 
the  same  in  both.  This  does  not  occur  so  often  in  cattle  as  it 
does  in  horses. 

FRACTURES  OF  THE  BONES  BELOW  THE  HOCK. 

For  this  we  refer  you  to  fracture  of  the  bones  below  the  knee, 

for   the   causes,  symptoms    and   treatment  are  the  same    in   both 

cases. 

SPAVIN. 

This  is    generally    seen  in    working  oxen,  or  cows.      There  is 

lameness  and  an  enlargement  on  the   inner  side  of  the  lower  part 

of  the  hock   joint,   similar   to   spavin  in  horses.      Blister   with  the 

following  : 

Biniodide  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate 2  drams. 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 3      " 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1^  ounces. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  clip  off  the  hair  on  the  inside  of  the  hock 
over  the  enlargement,  and  rub  on  half  of  this  blister,  rubbing  it  in 
well,  and  tie  the  animal  short  so  it  cannot  lick  it  ;  grease  the 
blistered  part  the  third  day  after  blistering,  then  let  it  go  for  a 
month,  and  then  wash  it  off  with  warm  water  and  soap  and  keep 
repeating  the  blister  until  the  animal  is  over  the  lameness,  which 
generally  takes  three  or  four  months. 

SPRAINS  IN  ANY  PART  OF  THE  ANIMAL. 

Causes. — Generally  from  the  animal  stepping  crooked,  or  a 
dog  worrying  it,  or  from  fighting. 

Symptoms. — There  is  heat,  swelling,  pain  and  stiffness,  or 
lameness  according  to  the  part  of  the  body  it  is  in. 

Treatment. — Bathe  the  parts  well  with  luke  warm  water  and 
vinegar  three  times  a  day  ;   after  bathing   wipe  dry  and   apply  the 


292  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

white  liniment.      If  tlie  ^^prain  is  in  a  joint  of  the  legs,  by  bandag"- 

ing    it    each  time    after  bathing   will   help   to   relieve   the   pain  and 

support  the  joint. 

WOUNDS  OF  ALL  KINDS. 

For  wounds  we  refer  you  to  the  explanation  of  wounds  giver 

in  horses,  for  they  happen   in  a  similar  manner  and  are  treated  the 

same  ;  but,  in  sewing  the  skin  in  cattle  you   will  find  it  tougher 

and  a  little  harder  to  sew  than  in  the  horse. 

AIR  UNDER  THE  SKIN  CAUSED  FROM  A  WOUND. 

Sometimes  from  a  very  small  wound  in  the  ox,  air  gets  under 
the  skin  into  the  tissue  which  connects  the  skin  to  the  body. 
The  amount  of  air  which  gets  in  varies  greatly,  sometimes  only  a 
small  amount  works  in  just  around  the  wound,  while  again  we 
have  seen  cases  where  so  much  air  would  work  in  that  it  spread, 
all  over  the  body  under  the  skin  and  make  the  animal  look  double 
its  natural  size.  The  way  to  be  sure  it  is  air,  is  to  rub  your  hand  over 
ithe  skin  and  it  will  make  a  peculiar  crackling  noise. 

Treatment — The  main  thing  to  be  done  in  this,  is  to  tap  the 
skin  in  several  places  around  where  the  air  is  with  a  penknife  and 
let  the  air  escape  ;  rub  the  skin  to  get  all  the  air  out,  and  after 
this  give  the  skin  a  good  rubbing  once  a  day  with  white  liniment, 
then  give  the  wound  the  treatment  given  for  wounds,  and  in 
a  few  days  the  air  will  all  disappear.  This  disease  is  sometimes 
met  with  in  the  horse  and  is  treated  the  same. 

MAGGOTS  IN  NEGLECTED  WOUNDS. 

Symptoms. — The  wound  smells  bad,  is  dirty,  and  if  you  stir 
it,  the  maggots  can  be  seen  moving  around  in  it. 

Treatment. — Give  the  wound  a  thorough  cleaning,  by  wash- 
ing it  out  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap,  after  this  apply  creolin 
lotion,  this  will  destroy  them.  In  very  bad  cases,  if  this  does  not 
eflfect  a  cure,  give  the  wound  a  good  dressing  with  spirits  of  tur- 
pentine, and  afterwards  bathe  twice  a  day  and  apply  the  creolin 

lotion. 

RHEUMATISM. 

This  is  a  kind  of  inflammation  that  affects  the  joints  and 
tendons. 

Causes. — From  bad  blood  where  there  is  too  much  acid  in 
it  ;  from  getting  wet  or  from  lying  on  the  damp  ground  in  the 
spring  of  the  year,  will  cause  it. 


DISEASES  A^'D  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  293 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling-  and  soreness  in  the  joint 
affected;  it  may  affect  one  joint  for  a  while,  then  move  to  another, 
and  so  on. 

Treatment. — Rub  the  affected  joint   well   with   acid    liniment 

■once  a  day  and  give  the  following^  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Common  Soda ^      " 

Salicylic  Acid i      " 

Mix  and  give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day  in  its  feed. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  SKIN. 

WARTS  AND  SMALL  GROWTHS  ON  THE  SKIN. 

Some  cattle  are  more  subject  to  warts  than  others.  If  the 
'warts  have  a  neck  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  them  is  by  tying  a 
small,  strong  string  tightly  around  the  wart,  as  close  to  the  skin 
as  you  can,  and  by  leaving  the  string  tied  tight  on  it  it  will  stop 
the  blood  circulating  in  the  wart,  which  will  cause  it  to  die  and 
drop  off.  If  the  wart  is  flat  and  has  no  neck  that  you  can  tie  the 
string  on  cut  it  off  with  a  sharp  knife  and  burn  it  with  a  stick  of 
caustic  potash.  Small  lumps,  or  tumors,  in  the  skin  are  very 
common  in  horses  and  cattle,  but  are  easily  got  rid  of.  If  it  is  a 
horse  put  a  twitch  on  his  nose  and  have  one  of  his  front  feet  held 
up;  if  it  is  a  cow  tie  her  up  solid,  then  cut  a  hole  in  the  skin  over 
the  lump  and  skin  around  it,  then  lift  it  up  and  cut  it  off  at  the 
bottom.  There  is  not  much  danger  from  bleeding  so  long  as  you 
do  not  cut  into  a  large  vein,  which  you  can  see  right  in  the  skin. 
The  after  treatment  is  to  bathe  with  luke  warm  water  twice  a  day 
and  apply  the  white  lotion  after  bathing  until  it  heals  up 

LICE  ON  CATTLE. 

They  may  be  cattle  lice  or  hen  lice. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  keeps  rubbing  itself  until  it  rubs  the 
hair  off  in  places,  and  if  you  examine  closely  you  will  see  them  in 
the  hair,      Cattle  affected  with  lice  do  not  thrive  well. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  very  simple  and  cheap.      Here 

as  the  most  effective  remedy  known   if  it  is  properly  used : 

Creolin. A  ounce,  or  2  tablespcoiifula 

Water 1  pint. 


294  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  and  shake  well  and  there  will  be  enough  in  this  to  go 
over  a  cow  twice.  Before  applying  it  give  the  animal  a  good 
brushing  with  a  stiff  brush;  pour  the  wash  into  a  flat  dish  where 
you  can  get  at  it,  and  with  a  brush  or  sponge,  dipped  in  the  wash, 
rub  it  all  over  the  animal.  Do  this  twice  a  week  until  the  lice  are 
all  killed.  Twenty  cents  will  buy  enough  creolin  to  kill  the  lice 
on  twenty  head  of  cattle. 

MANGE  IN  CATTLE. 

For  this  disease  refer  to  mange  in  horses,  for  the  causes,, 
symptoms  and  treatment  are  the  same. 

RINGWORM. 

This  is  a  common  disease  in  young  cattle  and  calves. 

Ca.USes. — From  a  parasite,  or  germ,  getting  into  the  skin  and 
working  around  the  bottom  of  the  hair,  causing  it  to  fall  out  in 
round  patches.  This  disease  aff^ects  young  cattle  more  than  older 
ones,  but  may  affect  them  at  any  age. 

Treatment. — The  cheapest  and  best  remedy  for  this  is  crude 
petroleum  oil  painted  over  the  spot  and  a  little  over  the  edges  of 
the  ringworm,  in  the  sound  skin,  to  keep  it  from  spreading. 
Paint  this  on  with  a  feather  every  day,  or  every  second  day  until 
the  ringworm  disappears.  Be  careful  in  handling  ringworms  on 
cattle,  as  you   are  liable  to  get  them  yourself  from  the  cattle. 

HORN  FLY. 

These  are  also  called  Austrian  flies  and  are  a  small,  black,, 
hard  fly.  They  first  started  on  this  continent  in  the  Eastern  states 
in  the  year  1887,  and  since  then  have  spread  all  over  the  coun- 
try. They  start  to  bother  the  cattle  during  the  warm  days  of  May 
and  continue  bothering  them  until  the  frost  comes  in  the  fall. 
These  flies  become  very  numerous  on  the  cattle,  and  they  pierce 
holes  in  the  skin  and  suck  the  blood.  While  they  are  resting 
they  light  on  the  horns,  and  sometimes  the  base  of  the  horn  is 
literally  covered  with  with  them. 

Treatment. — Apply  wagon  grease,  tar,  or  some  oily  substance 
around  the  base  of  the  horn  every  few  days  to  keep  them  from' 
resting  on  the  horn.  Wash  the  animal's  body  twice  a  week  with, 
creolin  wash,  which  is  very  cheap  and  effectual. 

Creolin 2  ounces  or  8  tablespoonf uls. 

Water 1  gallon. 

Mix,    shake   well   and    rub    them    over   twice  a  week  with  a 

cloth  or  sponge  dipped  in  this  wash   and  it  will  keep  the  flies  frorrt 

botherinsf  them. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  295 

WARBLES. 

This  trouble  is  only  found  to  affect  cattle,  and  is  caused  by  a 
large  fly,  called  the  o-adfly,  stinging-  the  animal  around  the 
back  ;  this  fly  lays  an  egg  down  in  the  skin  each  time  it  stings, 
which  develops  into  what  is  known  as  the  warble. 

Symptoms. — Small  lumps  appear  in  the  skin,  principally  over 
the  animal's  back,  and  coming  on  spring,  these  lumps,  which  con- 
tain the  grub,  or  warble,  becomes  pierced,  and  the  grub  gradu- 
ally works  out  and  falls  on  the  ground  and  in  a  few  days  matures 
into  another  gadfly  which  flies  off  to  sting  cattle  again  during  the 
summer. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  you  notice  the  lump,  cut  the  skin  and 

squeeze  the  grub  out.      By  killing  the  grubs  in  this  way  you  will 

soon  get  rid  of  the  pest. 

SNAKE  BITES. 

The  bite  of  some  snakes  is  very  poisonous  and  causes  the 
animal  to  have  great  depression  ;  it  becomes  very  weak  and 
feeble,  the  eyes  are  dull  and  the  pupils  enlarged,  the  ears  and  legs  be- 
come cold,  and  in  severe  cases  death  soon  comes  on  if  not  treated. 
If  you  see  the  animal  as  soon  as  it  is  bitten  cut  the  piece  out  and 
burn  the  wound  with  a  hot  iron  to  kill  the  poison  ;  give  half-pint 
doses  of  whisky  or  brandy  mixed  in  a  pint  of  water  every  three  or 
four  hours  to  stimulate  the  animal  and  counteract  the  depression 
and  weakness  caused  by  the  poison  in  the  system. 

BITES  OF  INSECTS,  SMALL  SNAKES,  HORNETS,  ETC. 

After  the  bite,  or  sting,  there  is  noticed  a  soft  swelling,  which 
is  sore.  Rub  the  parts  with  white  liniment  three  or  four  times  a  day; 
which  will  soon  draw  the  poison  out  and  take  down  the  swelling. 

FROST  BITES. 

Frost   bites  in  cattle  are  treated    the   same  as  frost  bites  in 

horses. 

BURNS  AND  SCALDS. 

Burns  and  scalds  on  any  animal  are  treated  by  applying  car- 
bolic oil  to  the  burnt  or  scalded  part,  take  four  ounces  of  sweet  oil 
with  ten  drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  it.  Put  this  on  twice  a  day  and 
it  will  stop  the  pain  and  heal  the  parts. 


296  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  FEET— HOW  TO  DEHORN, 
BLEED  AND  DRENCH. 

LAMINITIS  (FOUNDER). 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  sensitive  structures  of  the  foot, 
or  what  is  commonly  called  the  quick  of  the  foot. 

CS^USeS. — Are  from  overfeeding,  overheating-,  or  from  driving 
a  long  distance  on  a  hard,  stony  road. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  persists  in  lying  down  ;  the  feet  are 
hot  and  sometimes  swollen  around  the  top  of  the  hoof  and  sore  to 
press  on  ;  the  animal  is  greedy  to  drink  on  account  of  being 
feverish,  but  does  not  care  to  eat  much,  and  if  you  force  the 
animal  to  move  it  just  slides  its  feet  along,  seems  very  stiff  and  its 
belly  is  all  drawn  up  from  trying  to  favor  its  feet. 

Treatment.— Keep  the  animal  as  quiet  as  possible,  and 
poultice  the  feet  with  hot  linseed  meal  and  bran — about  half-and- 
half.  The  way  to  do  this  is  to  take  an  old  grain  bag,  cut 
about  a  foot  off  the  bottom  of  it  and  pack  the  hot  poultice  in  the 
bottom  ;  place  the  foot  in  it,  and  then  tie  it  up  around  the  fetlock 
and  foot  so  it  cannot  fall  off.  Do  this  to  all  the  feet  and  change 
the  poultice  twice  a  day;  keep  this  up  until  the  animal  gets  all 
right.  As  well  as  this,  give  a  pound  and  a  half  of  Epsom  salts 
in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water;  also  give  a  teaspoonful  of  saltpetre, 
or  nitrate  of  potash,  in  a  mash  night  and  morning.  Sometimes, 
if  the  weather  is  warm,  by  standing  the  animal  in  a  stream  of 
water  with  a  mucky  bottom,  for  a  few  hours  every  day,  will  soon 
bring  them  all  right  without  anything  else. 

SORENESS  OF  THE  FEET  FROM  ANY  CAUSE. 
Treat  just  the  same  as  you  would   for  founder,  by  poultices 
and  keeping  the  animal  quiet.      If  the  toes  are  too  long,  cut  them 
off  with  a  chisel  and  mallet. 

FOUL  IN  THE  FOOT  (FOOT-ROT). 
This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  skin  and  parts  between  the 
trotters  or  toes,  and  after  this  there  are  ulcers  or  small  boils  form 
and  break  out  all  around  the  top  of  the  foot  and  between  the  trot- 
ters. The  foot  becomes  very  much  swollen  in  some  cases  and 
causes  the  trotters  to  spread  wide  apart.      The  animal  suffers  great 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  297 

pain  and  can  scarcely  put  the  foot  to  the  ground,  and  if  allowed 
to  run  on  without  being  treated  at  once,  it  becomes  very  tedious 
and  hard  to  treat.  The  hind  feet  are  more  often  affected  than 
the  front  ones. 

Causes. — Are  from  something  becoming-  wedged  in  between 
the  trotters  or  toes,  such  as  hard  clay,  manure  or  a  piece  of  stick, 
bone  or  any  such  like  substance,  it  is  more  often  seen  where  cattle 
stand  in  a  filthy  place  or  have  to  walk  through  a  dirty,  soft  place. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  noticed  examine  the  foot  and  remove 
any  substance  found  between  the  trotter  or  toss,  wash  the  foot 
thoroughly  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap,  after  this  apply  a 
good  warm  poultice  of  linseed  meal,  poultice  every  night  and  keep 
the  animal  in  a  nice  dry  place  and  after  you  take  the  poultice  off 
in  the  morning  and  before  you  put  it  on  at  night  give  the  foot  a 
good  dressing  with  the  following: 

Carbolic  Acid 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Water 1  pint. 

Shake  well  together  each  time  before  using  and  apply  as 
mentioned,  when  applying  get  it  worked  in  between  the  trotters  or 
toes  as  much  as  you  can.  Keep  this  treatment  up  until  it  is 
better,  in  very  bad  cases  it  takes  a  long  time  to  get  better,  but 
keep  at  it.  Another  very  good  wash  to  use  in  place  of  the 
carbolic  water  is 

Creolin h  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Water 1  pint 

Mix  and  use  the  same  as  the  carbolic  water,  if   one  remedy 

should  fail  try  the  other;  during  treatment  be  sure  and  keep  the 

animal    quiet    and    in    a    dry    place,    and    feed    well    to    keep    its 

strength  up. 

FISTULA  OF  THE  FOOT. 

No  matter  what  part  of  the  foot  is  affected  it  is  just  the  same, 
it  is  caused  by  a  bruise  or  from  something  running  into  the  foot 
and  dirt 'getting  up  in  the  hole  or  from  diseased  bone. 

Symptoms. — There  is  lameness  and  a  discharge  from  a  small 
hole  which  has  no  tendency  to  heal,  and  if  it  is  from  a  small  piece 
of  diseased  bone  the  discharge  smells  very  bad. 

Treatment. —  In  all  cases  pare  out  the  hoof  or  horn  around 
the  sore  spot,  so  as  to  allow  whatever  is  in  it  to  have  a  chance  to 
run  out,  and  then  poultice  until  you  draw  out  whatever  is  in  the 
hole  causing  the  trouble.  The  best  poultice  for  this  is  hot  linseed 
meal.  After  you  get  it  out,  the  hole  will  soon  heal  up  of  its  own 
4ccord. 


298  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

NAIL  RUN  IN  THE  FOOT. 

This  generally  occurs  where  cattle  are  running  around  old 
buildings  where  boards  with  nails  in  them  are  lying  about. 

Symptoms. — There  is  severe  lameness  which  comes  on  all  of  a 
sudden  ;  the  animal  appears  to  be  in  great  pain  and  can  scarcely 
touch  its  foot  to  the  ground. 

Treatment. — Pull  the  nail  out,  pare  out  around  the  hole  made 
by  the  nail  and  poultice  with  hot  linseed  meal  ;  keep  the  animal 
quiet  until  the  soreness  is  all  out ;  change  the  poultices  twice 
a  day.  If  it  should  fester  then  pare  down  around  the  hole  until 
the  matter  comes  out  and  then  poultice  well  to  draw  it  all  out  ; 
keep  the  animal  quiet  until  the  hole  heals  up.  After  you  quit 
poulticing  stuff  the  hole  with  tar  and  cotton  batting  to  keep  the 
dirt  from  working  up  into  it. 

DEHORNING. 

This  is  an  operation  which  is  carried  on  to  a  great  extent  in 
Canada  and  other  countries,  and  is  gaining  the  favor  of  stock 
owners  rapidly.  It  is  a  very  simple,  although  a  painful  operation 
while  it  lasts,  and  is,  as  a  general  thing,  attended  with  ver}-  good 
results.  While  this  is  a  painful  operation  so  are  all  other  opera- 
tions, such  as  castration  and  docking,  but  as  long  as  it  is  done 
with  a  view  to  benefitting  the  lives  of  the  cattle  themselves,  and 
also  their  owner,  it  is  not  considered  inhuman.  It  is  best  not  to 
perform  this  operation  on  cattle  under  one  year  old  for  the  horns 
will  often  grow  again,  and  before  that  time  they  never  do  much 
harm.  The  best  time  to  dehorn  is  in  the  spring,  during  the 
months  of  March  and  April,  so  that  the  horns  will  be  well  healed 
up  before  the  flies  come  to  bother  them,  or  in  the  fall  of  the  year, 
just  after  there  has  been  frost  enough  to  kill  the  flies.  The  opera- 
tion is  a  simple  one,  and  is  performed  in  this  way  :  Build  a 
stanchion,  similar  to  the  old  way  of  tying  cattle,  in  a  soFid  door- 
way, or  any  other  such  place  where  you  can  run  the  cattle  into 
it,  one  at  a  time.  Have  the  stanchion  built  good  and  strong,  also 
have  the  sticks  in  it  good  and  tight  together,  just  large  enough 
for  the  animal's  neck  to  fit  in  when  it  is  closed  ;  have  a  narrow 
stall,  built  out  of  good  strong  plank,  at  the  side  of  the  stanchion 
where  you  can  run  the  cattle  in,  this  will  keep  them  from  swinging 
the  body  around  while  you  are  dehorning  them.  When  you  have 
the  animal  fast  in  the  stanchion  put  a  rope  halter  over  its  head,  and 
have  the  head  and  neck  well  pulled  forward  by  means  of  a  double 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  29& 

pulley  so  as  to  get  good  purchase  to  hold  the  animal  in  its  place 
while  operating  ;  have  the  pulleys  attached  to  something  about 
eight  or  ten  feet  straight  in  front  of  the  animal,  and  as  near  the 
ground  as  possible,  this  will  hold  the  head  in  better  position  ; 
have  a  man  take  hold  of  the  nose  and  ear  at  one  side  while  you 
saw  the  horn  off  with  a  stiff-backed,  fine-tooth  carpenter  saw, 
taking  about  one-eighth  of  an  inch  of  skin  off  with  the  horn,  then 
take  off  the  other  horn  in  like  manner.  By  taking  the  horn  off  in 
this  place  it  is  easier  sawed,  bleeds  less,  heals  nicer  and  there  is 
no  danger  of  it  growing  again.  As  soon  as  you  are  through  with 
this  animal  put  in  another.  In  cases  where  you  only  have  one  to 
dehorn  throw  and  secure  it,  and  take  the  horns  off  in  the  same 
manner.  Another  way  by  which  they  may  be  taken  off  is  to 
use  large  dehorning  clippers.  These  clippers  can  be  got  at  a 
hardware  store,  and  the  directions  how  to  use  are  along  with 
them.  We  recommend  sawing  the  horns  off,  except  in  cases  of 
very  young  cattle.  After  two  or  three  years  of  age  the  horns  be- 
come brittle,  and  in  pinching  them  off  with  the  clippers  there  is 
danger  of  fracturing  the  bones,  of  the  head.  Always  keep  the 
animal  from  being  chased  before  and  after  the  operation,  for  there 
is  more  danger  of  bleeding  when  they  are  excited.  If  they  bleed 
much  apply  a  little  of  Monsell's  solution  of  iron  with  a  feather, 
which  will  stop  the  bleeding.  Keep  the  animal  quiet  and  do  not 
allow  it  to  be  out  in  any  cold  storms,  and  be  careful  when  feeding 
it  not  to  throw  dust  or  chaff  on  the  head  so  it  will  get  in  the 
holes,  which  would  be  apt  to  cause  festering.  If  you  want  to  kill 
the  horns  on  calves  it  must  be  done  when  they  are  about  a  week 
old.  When  the  little  horn  first  appears  take  a  stick  of  caustic 
potash,  dip  it  in  water  and  rub  it  well  into  the  skin  around  where 
the  little  horn  is  coming  through.  One  burning  generally  kills 
the  horns  ;   if  not,  repeat  it  heavier  in  a  few  days. 

HOW  TO  BLEED  A  COW. 

Tie  a  small  rope  around  the  neck,  just  in  front  of  the 
shoulders,  so  it  will  raise  the  jugular  vein,  then  take  the  largest 
blade  of  an  ordinary  fleames,  hold  it  lengthwise,  fai*-  in  the  centre 
over  the  vein,  then  hit  the  fleames  a  sharp  tap  with  a  piece  of 
hardwood  ;  hit  hard  enough  to  cut  the  vein,  and  catch  the  blood 
in  a  pail,  Take  from  half  a  pail  to  a  pailful  of  blood  awa\ . 
W^hen  you  have  enough  blood  away,  let  the  rope  slack,  run  a  pin 
through  the  two  edges  of  the  cut  and   wind  a  string  around   the 


300  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

pin  in  the  form  of  a  figure  eight  and  tie  it  there.  Keep  the 
animal  in  the  stable,  and  feed  out  of  a  high  manger,  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  then  remove  the  pin  and  allow  the  animal  to  go. 
In  this  operation,  as  in  all  others,   have  everything  clean   for  fear 

of  blood-poisoning. 

HOW  TO  DRENCH  CATTLE. 

In    cattle   always    mix   your   drenches  in  a  large  quantity  of 

Avater,  because  it  will  wash  out  of  the  paunch  quicker,  and  have  a 

quicker    and    better    action    when    given     this     way.       Have     an 

assistant    to    hold    the   horns   while    you    take    hold   of   the    nose 

with  your  left  hand,  and    hold  the  head  a  little  above  a  level;   with 

your  right  hand  put  the  bottle  well  back  into  the  mouth  and  allow 

it  all  to  run  down  without   taking  the   bottle   out   of   the    mouth, 

iinless   the   animal    should    cough;    if  it   does,    let   go  of  its   head 

until  through  coughing,  then  continue  the  drenching.      Be    careful 

in    drenching,    especially    in    lung    troubles,    for    they    are    easily 

choked. 

CHAPTER  X. 

DISEASES  OF  THE  NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

CORN  STALK  DISEASE. 

Causes. —  From  eating  corn  stalks  which  have  minute  germs 
underneath  the  leaves  ;  these  germs  are  so  small  that  you  cannot 
see  them  without  the  aid  of  a  microscope.  Corn  stalks  that  are 
affected  with  these  germs  do  not  grow  so  well,  and  ripens  long 
before  the  other  corn. 

Symptoms. — There  is  first,  symptom.s  of  impaction  of  the 
third  part  of  stomach  or  manyplies,  after  that  the  brain  becomes 
aff'ected  and  the  animal  becomes  delirious,  this  is  followed  by 
stupidness  ;  the  animal  will  shove  its  head  forward  against  the 
stall  and  pay  no  attention  to  anything,  and  after  a  few  days,  dies. 

Treatment.— Give  the  following- : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Bitter  Aloes 1  ounce. 

Sw  eet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite    10  to  15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  and 

afterwards  follow  up  with  : 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  15  drops. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitie 1  ounce,  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  301 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every  four  hours 
until  it  is  better.  Give  luke  warm  water  to  drink  and  feed  on  soft 
food,  keep,  the  body  warm,  and  if  the  animal's  head  is  affected, 
keep  ice  to  its  head  in  a  bag".  Smut  on  corn  is  very  bad  feed,  as  it  is 
apt  to  derange  the  stomach  and  cause  diarrhoea,  and  if  the  animal 
gets  too  much  smut  it  will  set  up  a  disease  similar  to  ergotism. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BRAIN  (ENCEPHALITIS). 

This  disease  is  not  so  often  met  with  in  cattle  as  it  is 
in  horses. 

Causes. — From  a  severe  blow  on  the  head,  or  from  falling 
and  striking  the  head;  irritation  of  small  tumors  growing  around 
the  brain  and  pressing  on  it;  certain  kinds  of  food  containing  ergot 
or  narcotic  principles  will  cause  it,  or  from  eating  grains  from  a- 
distillery. 

SymptOItlS. — The  first  symptoms  are  the  animal  will  be  dull 
and  drowsy  and  stands  with  its  head  pressed  up  against  a  wall  or 
fence  ;  its  legs  keep  moving  as  if  it  was  going  to  walk  right 
through  whatever  its  head  is  pressed  against  ;  when  walking  it 
has  a  staggering  gait  ;  its  bowels  are  costive  and  its  urine  is  of  a 
dark-red  color.  After  these  symptoms  pass  off  the  animal  gets 
delirious  and  acts  as  if  it  were  mad,  it  bellows,  stamps  its  feet, 
grates  its  teeth,  froths  at  the  mouth,  runs  about  wildly,  and,  if  in- 
the  stable,  rears  up  into  the  manger. 

Treatment. — in    the    first    stages,    when    the    animal    is  dull, 

bleed  it,  taking  a  half  pailful  of  blood  away,  and  give 

Epsom   Salts 1  pound. 

Bitter  Aloes   1    ounce. 

Ginger 1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in   a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

Keep  the  animal  in  a  quiet,  shady  place  ;   apply  a  mustard   plaster 

to  the  back  ;  keep  the   body  warm  and   apply  ice  to  its  head  in  a 

bag.      Give 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoon! uls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  to  15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  cold  water  and  give  every  five  hours,  until 
the  animal  is  better.  Give  plenty  of  cold  water  to  drink  in  small 
quantities  and  feed  on  soft  food.  Give  an  injection  into  the  anus 
of  half  a  pail  of  luke  warm  water  and  soap  twice  a  day  to  help  to 
start  the  bowels. 


302  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE, 

SUNSTROKE. 
This  very  rarely  occurs  in  cattle.      The  causes,  symptoms  and 
treatment  are   the   same   as   those   of    the   horse,  only  in  giving-  a 
physic  use  one  pound  of  Epsom   salts  along  with  the  bitter  aloes. 

LOCKJAW  (TETANUS). 

This  disease  is  rarely  met  with  in  cattle. 

Ca^USes. — Following  operations,  or  wounds  of  any  kind,  and 
sometimes  it  comes  on  from  causes  unknown. 

Symptoms. — If  it  is  from  a  wound  just  when  it  is  healing  up 
the  muscles  all  over  the  body  is  contracted  and  hard  ;  the  animal 
has  a  stiff  way  of  walking  ;  the  tail  will  be  stiff,  and  keeps  work- 
ing like  a  snake  ;  the  jaws  become  partially  set ;  the  animal  can- 
not reach  down  to  the  ground;  the  eyes  have  a  peculiar  look  and 
seem  to  be  turned  back  in  the  head  and  set.  In  some  cases  the 
animal  can  eat,  while  in  other  cases  it  cannot,  according  to  how 
much  the  muscles  of  the  jaws  are  affected. 

Treatment. — This  is  one  of  the  diseases  that  does  not  need 

much    medicine    because    in    giving    the    medicine   it    excites   the 

animal  and   does    more    harm    than   good,  and,  anyway,  medicine 

does  not  seem  to  do  any  good  in  this  disease.    Give  the  following: 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Common  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 1  dram,  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench 
once  a  week.  Keep  the  animal  perfectly  quiet  and  free  from 
noise.  Feed  on  food  made  intp  gruel,  so  that  it  can  drink  it 
down.  If  it  is  caused  from  a  wound,  bathe  the  wound  twice  a 
day  and  fill  the  place  full  of  green  salve.  If  the  wound  is  where 
you  can  poultice  it,  poultice  it  every  night  with  linseed  meal. 
This  disease  generally  takes  three  or  four  weeks  to  run  its  course, 
and  if  you  can  keep  the  animal's  strength  up  till  then  it  will  pass 
away,  while  in  severe  cases  they  die  in  a  week  or  so. 


-^^^ 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF^CATTLE.  303 

CHAPTER  XI. 

CONTAGIOUS  DISEASES  IN  CATTLE 

CONTAGIOUS  PLEURO-PNEUMONIA. 

This  disease  is  contagious,  or  catching,  and  is  inflammation 
of  the  lungs  and  covering  of  the  lungs;  this  is  how  it  gets  its 
name.  This  disease  was  more  common  at  one  time  than  it  is 
now.  It  was  first  noticed  in  Prussia  in  1802,  Russia  in  1824, 
England  in  1841,  and  America  in  1843.  It  is  a  very  contagious 
disease  in  cattle,  but  never  affects  other  animals.  If  an  animal 
once  gets  over  this  disease  it  will  never  get  it  again.  When  there 
is  an  outbreak  of  this  disease  it  spreads  very  rapidly,  by  the 
germs  of  the  disease  being  carried  about  in  different  ways. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptom  is,  the  animal  gets  very 
feverish;  the  temperature  goes  as  high  as  105  degrees.  The 
animal  will  remain  feverish  for  a  week  or  so,  and  also  have  a 
cough,  as  if  from  a  slight  cold.  Atter  this  the  lungs  become 
inflamed  and  sets  up  inflammation  of  the  lungs  and  their  covering. 
By  listening  at  the  sides  you  will  hear  the  peculiar  grating  sound 
that  is  heard  in  inflammation  of  these  parts.  The  animal  breathes 
heavy  and  quick,  falls  off"  rapidly  in  condition,  refuses  to  eat, 
becomes  hide  bound,  and  there  is  a  discharge  from  the  nostrils  of 
a  whitish  color,  which  has  a  very  bad  smell.  The  pulse  runs  up 
higher  and  becomes  weaker;  the  nose  is  dry,  and  the  animal  lies 
on  its  breast  bone  most  of  the  time.  Sometimes  there  is  diarrhoea, 
then  costiveness;  the  eyes  become  dull  and  the  animal  soon  dies. 
When  one  animal  in  a  herd  becomes  affected  with  this  disease  the 
whole  herd  will  soon  become  aff"ected  and  die,  and  if  it  is  not 
checked  in  this  herd  it  soon  spreads  all  over  the  country. 

Treatment. — If  there  should  be  several  animals  die  in  the  same 

district,  and  you  suspect  this  disease,  send  for  one  of  the  government 

veterinary  inspectors,  who  looks  after  all  contagious  diseases  that 

break  out  in   America.      The  treatment  he  will  follow,  after  he  is 

sure    it  is   this   disease  they  have,  is :     He  will  have  the  aff"ected 

herd    immediately    destroyed,    and,    the    people    who    have     been 

attending  the  cattle  and  those  who  are  on  the  farm,  will  not  be 

allowed  to  leave    the    farm    for    ninety    days,  and    all    the  stables 

where  the  cattle  have  been  will  be  disinfected  and  no  other  cattle 

will  be  allowed  on  the   farm   for   ninety   days   after   the  slaughter. 

Medical  treatment  is  of  no  avail   in  this  disease,  and  you   are   not 
allowed  to  treat  them. 


804  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

CUNSUMPTION  IN  CATTLE  (TUBERCULOSIS). 

This  disease  is  a  contagious  one,  caused  by  germs  called  the 
bacillus  tuberculosis.  This  disease  has  been  known  for  centuries 
back,  and  there  has  been  laws  passed  calling  for  the  destruction 
of  affected  animals,  and  also  forbidding  the  meat  to  be  used  as 
food.  This  disease  is  known  in  all  the  civilized  world.  It  may 
affect  the  lungs,  bowels,  liver,  kidneys,  bladder,  brain  or  spinal 
cord,  or  any  part  of  the  body.  The  germs  in  the  affected  cattle 
come  away  from  the  lungs  by  coughing,  or  flows  away  in  the 
saliva  from  the  affected  animal's  mouth,  they  fall  on  the  grass,  in 
mangers,  pails  and  such  like,  and  other  animals  following  them 
up  may  breathe  the  germs  into  the  lungs  by  eating  on  drinking 
out  of  the  same  pail  or  manger,  or  off  the  grass  where  the 
diseased  cattle  have  been,  and  this  is  how  the  disease  is  com- 
municated from  one  to  the  other.  These  germs  may  also  pass 
out  of  the  system  into  the  milk,  and  animals  or  people  that  drink 
this  milk  are  liable  to  take  the  disease,  so  you  see  the  danger  of 
having  a   diseased  cow  around. 

Symptoms. — At  first  the  disease  comes  on  very  slowly  after 
it  is  taken  into  the  system.  If  the  disease  affects  the  lungs  there 
is  a  short,  dull  cough  which  may  be  noticed  more  in  the  morning, 
after  exercise,  or  drinking,  later  on  in  the  disease  the  cough  be- 
comes more  troublesome,  the  animal  runs  down  in  condition,  the 
breath  has  a  bad  smell,  there  is  a  dribbling  of  saliva  from  the 
mouth,  the  animal  becomes  hide  bound,  the  hair  stands  out  and  it 
is  a  pitiful  looking  sight,  and  in  a  few  months  pines  away  and 
dies.  The  time  it  takes  the  disease  to  run  its  course  varies  from 
three  months  to  a  year.  This  disease  is  noticed  more  in 
thoroughbred  cattle  than  it  is  in  grade  cattle.  If  it  affects  the 
bowels  the  animal  will  run  down  in  condition,  will  have  diarrhoea 
sometimes,  then  costiveness  changing  every  few  days  ;  the  other 
symptoms  are  the  same  only  when  the  disease  does  not  affect  the 
lungs  the  animal  has  not  such  a  cough.  If  the  disease  affects  the 
brain  or  spinal  cord  it  causes  paralysis,  and  death  soon  follows. 
If  any  of  the  other  parts  or  organs  of  the  body  are  affected  it 
causes  symptoms  peculiar  to  that  organ  when  affected,  and  the 
animal  slowly  pines  away  and  dies.  The  way  to  test  cattle  to  find 
out  whether  they  are  affected  with  tuberculosis  or  not  is  to  use  the 
test  known  as  the  tuberculine  test,  which  is  done  by  injecting 
tuherculine  into  all  the  herd  of  cattle  that  are  supposed  to  be 
affected  with  the  disease  and  having  them  starved  for  twenty-four 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  305 

hours  after  the  injection,  then  take  their  temperature.  The 
temperature  of  the  cattle  not  aflfected  with  the  disease  will  be 
normal,  while  the  temperature  of  the  affected  ones  will  be  raised 
two  or  three  degrees.  In  case  you  suspect  thi&  disease  in  your 
herd  of  cattle  it  is  best  to  send  for  the  government  veterinary 
inspector  to  come  and  use  the  test,  for  he  thoroughly  understands 
how  to  test  them,  and  the  affected  ones  will  be  destroyed.  In 
this  way  you  prevent  the  disease  from  spreading  in  your  own  herd 
of  cattle,  and  by  doing  this  you  also  protect  the  lives  of  your  family, 
yourself  and  those  around  you,  for  this  disease  can  be  communi- 
cated from  cattle  to  people  by  drinking  the  milk  or  eating  the 
meat  of  affected  cattle.  In  opening  cattle  that  are  affected  with 
this  disease  the  organ  that  is  affected  will  be  found  to  be  eaten  away 
with  the  disease,  and  its  place  is  taken  by  a  lot  of  small  lumps 
inclosed  in  a  membrane,  and  if  you  cut  into  them  they  are  found 
to  be  full  of  other  little  cheesy  lumps  about  the  size  of  a  pea.  In 
very  bad  cases  tumors  will  sometimes  form  and  be  full  of  yellow 
matter. 

HYDROPHOBIA,  MADNESS  OR  RABIES  IN  CATTLE. 

This  disease  originates  spontaneously  in  dogs  and  cats  and 
can  be  communicated  to  other  animals  or  man  by  the  poison 
caused  from  the  bites  of  these  animals  while  they  are  mad.  The 
saliva  of  the  mouth  contains  the  poison  and  this  is  how  it  is 
caused  from  a  bite.  Every  animal  that  they  bite  does  not  go 
mad,  but  about  one-fourth  of  the  animals  bitten  do  go  mad. 

Symptoms. — ^A  few  days  after  being  bitten  the  animal  loses  its 
appetite,  is  very  restless  and  anxious  looking,  then  there  is 
increased  restlessness,  loud  roaring  at  times,  bunting  at  things 
and  pawing  with  its  feet;  saliva  keeps  dripping  away  from  the 
mouth,  there  is  a  peculiar  wild  look  in  the  eyes,  and  the  animal 
keeps  continually  straining  to  pass  manure,  but  very  little  comes, 
and  in  a  short  time  it  becomes  paralyzed  in  the  hind  quarters, 
falls  down  and  death  soon  relieves  it.  If  the  above  symptoms 
are  present,  and  a  m.ad  dog  has  been  through  that  section  of  the 
country,  you  may  as  well  destroy  the  animal,  for  it  is  mad 
and  is  dangerous  to  have  around. 

Treatment.—  If  the  disease  has  set  in,  destroy  the  animal, 
and  in  going  around  it  be  very  careful  not  to  let  it  hook  or  bite 
you  ;  but  if  you  go  to  treat  the  animal  just  after  it  has  been  bitten 
by  a  mad  dog,  take  a  sharp  knife  and   cut  a  piece  right  out  of  the 


—20— 


306  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

wound,  then  take  a  stick  of  caustic  potash,  or  nitrate  of  silver,  and 
burn  the  wound  well  with  it ;  but  if  you  have  not  got  these,  burn  the 
wound  well  with  a  red  hot  iron,  which  will  also  kill  the  poison. 

LUMPY  JAW  (ACTINOMYCOSIS). 

This  disease  is  contagious  and  spreads  among  cattle.  It  is 
caused  by  germs  known  as  "actinomycosis."  This  disease  gener- 
ally affects  the  upper  or  lower  jaws,  but  may  affect  the  tongue 
and  other  parts  of  the  body.  The  way  this  disease  is  communi- 
cated from  one  animal  to  another  is  from  the  affected  animals 
slavering  on  the  grass  or  over  feed  and  other  animals  take  it  up 
when  eating  or  drinking.  These  germs  pass  down  into  the  bowels, 
where  they  are  taken  up  into  the  blood  and  carried  around  until 
they  locate  in  the  jaw.  They  may  also  be  taken  into  the  system 
from  the  slaver  getting  into  the  wound  on  another  animal,  and  it  is 
thought  that  this  disease  may  be  carried  to  and  affect  man  by 
eating  the  flesh  of  an  animal  affected  with  this  disease. 

Symptoms. — If  it  affects  the  jaw  there  will  be  a  hard,  bony 
lump  form  opposite  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  either  in  the  upper  or 
lower  jaws.  The  disease  gradually  works  in  the  jaw,  the  lump 
grows,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  disease  gets  so  bad  that  the 
teeth  loosen  and  fall  out,  and  on  account  of  the  disease  being  so 
bad  that  the  animal  cannot  eal,  it  falls  off  in  condition  and  dies. 
If  it  affects  the  tongue,  it  is  generally  the  thick  part  at  the  back 
that  is  affected.  It  thickens  and  hardens  the  tongue  so  much  that 
when  this  is  affected,  it  sometimes  receives  the  name  of  wooden 
tongue;  in  this  case  the  animal  will  fall  off  in  condition,  from  not 
being  able  to  eat,  and  will  soon  die. 

Treatment. — If  more  than  one  animal  in  a  herd  becomes 
affected  with  lumpy  jaw,  and  after  examining  the  teeth  you  find 
nothing  wrong  with  them  and  you  cannot  see  the  mark  of  any 
injury  outside  around  the  jaws,  and  if  they  are  not  sore  to  handle, 
then  be  suspicious  of  this  disease  and  treat  in  the  following  man- 
ner :  Separate  the  affected  animals  from  the  sound  ones  ;  treat 
the  affected  ones  by  throwing  and  securing  them,  then  skin  a 
piece  of  the  skin  off  the  upper  part  of  the  lump,  and  take  a 
quarter-inch  auger  or  a  trephine,  which  is  an  instrument  used 
for  boring  into  the  bone,  but  an  auger  will  do  just  as  well  ;  bore 
two  small  holes  well  into  the  bone,  which  is  easily  done  when 
the  bone  is  diseased  ;  pour  tincture  of  iodine  into  the  holes 
and  let  it   soak  well   around   the  diseased   bone  ;    let   the   animal 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  307 

up,  and  in  a  few  days   afterward  catch   it  again  and  fill  the  holes 

with  iodine,  and  keep  putting  in  the  iodine  every  fourth  day  until 

the  holes  heal  up.      If  this  treatment  fails  to  kill  the  lump  destroy 

the  animal  and  burn  it,  for  it  is  dangerous  to  have  it  in  your  herd, 

and  its  meat  should  not  be  used  for  food,  as  it  might  set  up  the 

disease  in  man. 

ANTHRAX. 

This  is  an  infectious  disease  caused  by  germs,  called  the 
anthrax  bacilli,  getting  into  the  blood.  This  disease  affects  cattle 
in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  is  only  noticed  in  cattle  that  are 
grazing  on  low,  swampy  land  that  have  pools  of  stagnant  water  on 
it.  When  once  the  disease  gets  into  a  pasture  field  it  will  remain 
there  for  years,  and  the  only  way  to  get  rid  of  it  is  to  break  the 
field  up  and  drain  it. 

Symptoms — It  more  frequently  aflfects  young  cattle  than  older 
ones  ;  the  attack  is  very  sudden,  and  an  animal  apparently  well 
the  night  before  will  be  found  dead  in  the  morning.  In  some 
cases  as  soon  as  the  animal  is  affected  it  drops  down,  goes  into 
convulsions  and  dies.  In  other  cases  it  will  last  longer,  the  pulse 
will  run  up  to  from  80  to  100  beats  per  minute  ;  the  animal  will 
not  eat;  the  whole  surface  of  the  body,  legs  and  ears  are  cold,  and 
it  is  very  dull,  stupid  and  weak,  In  a  short  time  this  dullness 
gives  way  to  uneasiness,  it  champs  its  jaws,  kicks  and  paws  the 
ground  and  appears  to  be  in  terrible  agony  ;  it  has  very  much 
difficulty  in  breathing,  the  nostrils  are  enlarged  and  the  mouth 
open  ;  the  lining  of  the  mouth,  nostrils,  rectum  or  back  bowel 
and  vagina  are  of  a  blue  color,  the  manure  is  first  thin  and  watery 
looking,  then  covered  with  slime  and  blood  ;  the  symptoms  gradu- 
ally get  worse,  and  in  a  few  hours  it  dies  a  miserable  death.  The 
germs  are  taken  into  the  system  from  eating  grass  around  a 
swamp  or  drinking  the  water  from  stagnant  pools.  They  find 
their  way  from  the  bowels  into  the  blood,  and  work  around  until 
they  locate  themselves  in  the  bowels  or  tissues  under  the  skin. 
When  an  animal  dies  from  this  disease  it  bloats  up,  decomposition 
setting  in  very  quickly,  and  there  is  a  blood-stained  fluid  flows  from 
the  mouth,  nose  and  anus.  If  you  have  had  an  animal  or  two  die 
while  pasturing  on  this  kind  of  land,  and  showing  the  above 
symptoms  and  appearance  after  death,  send  for  the  government 
veterinary  inspector,  he  will  examine  the  blood,  and  if  the  germs 
are  found   in   it   you  will   then   be   sure    it    is   anthrax.      Burn    the 


308  THE  VETEEINAKY  SCIENCE. 

carcasses  of  the  dead  cattle  and  remove  the  sound  ones  from  the 
pasture;  drain  the  field  and  break  it  up  is  the  best  way  to  get  rid 
of  the  germs.  Sheep  are  also  subject  to  this  disease  and  have  the 
same  symptoms. 

Treatment. — There  is  no  treatment  for  this  disease. 

BLA"-:  QUARTER. 

This  is  an  infectious  disease  and  is  very  fatal,  and  affects^ 
cattle  from  six  months  to  three  or  four  years'  old.  It  is  caused 
by  germs  getting"  into  the  system.  This  disease  is  noticed  mostly 
in  cattle  grazing  on  low-lying,  swampy  lands. 

Symptoms. — About  three  days  after  the  germs  get  into  the 
system  the  animal  becomes  dull  and  feverish,  the  temperature 
rises  as  high  as  107  degrees;  there  is  lameness  in  some  of  the 
legs,  generally  in  one  of  the  front  ones,  which  is  caused  from  a 
swelling  which  usually  forms  just  behind  the  front  leg,  but  may  be 
in  any  other  part  of  the  body.  The  symptoms  gradually  get 
worse ;  the  animal  acts  as  if  it  had  severe  spells  of  colic,  but 
keeps  looking  around  to  where  the  swelling  is;  breathes  heavy; 
becomes  very  weak  and  soon  dies.  The  swelling,  after  it  i-s  first 
noticed,  grows  very  fast,  and  when  you  rub  your  hand  over  it, 
it  makes  a  crackling  noise  as  if  it  contained  air.  If  you  cut  into 
the  swelling  the  animal  does  not  feel  it,  and  nothing  comes  out 
only  a  dark  red,  frothy  looking  substance,  which  has  a  bad  smell. 
If  vou  skin  the  animal  where  the  swelling  is,  there  will  be  dark 
brown,  dark  red  and  yellow  colored  patches,  and  the  parts  around 
where  the  swelling  is  will  be  soft  and  easily  torn. 

Treatment. — There  is  no  treatment  for  this  disease,  only- 
remove  the  sound  animals,  destroy  and  burn  the  affected  ones, 
and  drain  and  break  up  the  pasture. 

TEXAS  FEVER. 

This  disease  affects  cattle  all  through  the  southern  parts  of 
the  states,  and  is  caused  from  germs  getting  into  the  blood. 
The  germs  are  carried  from  one  animal  to  another  by  cattle  ticks. 

Symptoms. — At  first  there  is  dullness,  loss  of  appetite,  and 
the  animal  will  leave  the  herd  and  stand  or  lie  down  alone.  The 
temperature  at  this  stage  will  be  up  from  105  to  107  degrees,  and 
stays  about  that  all  through  the  disease.  The  bowels  are  con- 
stipated, and  anything  that  is  passed  is  covered  with  bile,  and 
near  the  end  of  the  disease  the  urine  or  water  is  of  a  dark  red  color. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  309 

The  pulse  and  breathing-  are  both  quickened  ;  the  animal  becomes 
very  stupid  and  lays  down  most  of  the  time,  and  in  a  few  days  death 
relieves  it  In  some  cases  they  die  in  three  days,  while  in  others 
they  live  for  several  weeks,  and  if  an  animal  does  recover  it  takes 
it  a  long-  time  to  do  so. 

Treatment.— In  order  to  keep  the  disease  from  spreading^  do 
not  allow  cattle  that  have  these  ticks  on  them  to  go  into  other 
herds,  and  cattle  affected  with  this  disease  should  be  put  on  a 
pasture  by  themselves,  and  the  ticks  should  be  picked  off  and 
killed,  then  g^ive  the  animal  the  following  :  Fifteen  grains  of 
sulphate  of  quinine  three  times  a  day,  either  in  a  drench  mixed 
with  a  pint  of  water,  in  a  capsule  or  on   its  tongue    with  a  spoon. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

DISEASES  THAT  ARE  LIABLE  TO  AFFECT 
ANY  ANIMAL. 

TUMORS. 

Tumors  are  growths  which  are  not  inflamed  nor  sore  to 
tiandle,  and  are  of  various  kinds  ;  they  do  not  fester  and  break, 
and  run  matter  as  abscesses  do,  but  simply  grow ;  they  may 
affect  any  part  of  the  body  in  any  kind  of  an  animal,  and 
in  some  cases  there  will  be  a  small  amount  of  matter  in  the  center 
of  the  lump.  Tumors,  as  a  general  thing,  grow  very  slowly,  and 
are  very  hard  when  you  feel  them. 

Treatment. —  At  first  they  may  be  stopped  growing  and  ab- 
sorbed by  blistering 

For  Tumors  on  Cattle— Use  the  following  blister  : 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 2^  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1    ounce. 

Mix  and  rub  in  well  what  you  can  get  on  the  tumor  ;   tie  the 

animal's  head  so   it   cannot   bite   the   blister  ;  grease  the  blistered 

part  in  three  days,  and  in  two  weeks  blister  again,  and  continue 

antil  you    have   blistered    it  three   or  four   times,  and  then  if  this 

Joes  not  stop  the   growth    of  the    lump   and    reduce    it  down  it  is 

best  to  cut  it  out.      Tincture  of  iodine   is  also  good  to  use  in  some 

cases.      Rub  the  lump  well  with   it  once  a  day  till   you  get  it  well 

blistered,  then  grease  and  let  it  go  for  a  few  days,  then  wash  the 

grease  off  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap  and  commence   using 

£he  iodine  again. 


§10  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

For  Tumors  on  Horses. — Use  the  following-  blister  : 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly ...    1^  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard.    1   ounce. 

Mix  and  apply  with  the  same  directions  as  is  given  for  the 
blister  on  cattle,  if  this  does  not  fix  it  try  the  iodine  the  same  as 
for  cattle.  In  case  you  have  to  cut  the  lump  out,  throw  the 
animal  down  and  secure  it,  make  a  good,  long-  cut  in  the  skin 
over  the  tumor  and  cut  around  it  until  you  have  it  cut  out,  after 
the  tumor  is  out  and  it  is  bleeding-,  take  a  large  piece  of  dry 
cotton  batting-  about  the  size  of  the  tumor  and  shove  it  in  where 
you  took  the  tumor  out,  then  sew  up  the  skin  the  same  as  sewing- 
a  wound,  and  leave  it  sewed  up  for  twenty-four  hours,  then  take 
a  couple  of  stitches  out  of  the  lower  part  of  the  wound  and  take  the 
batting-  out  and  dress  it  by  bathing-  it  off  with  luke  warm  water  and 
soap  twice  a  day,  after  each  bathing-  dress  the  wound  by  inserting- 
melted  g-reen  salve  with  a  feather  up  in  the  wound  and  applying-  white- 
lotion  around  the  outside  and  inside  of  the  cut.  Keep  this  treatment 
up  until  it  is  healed.  If  the  tumor  lies  near  a  larg-e  vein  such  as  the 
jugular  vein,  and  you  cannot  cut  it  out,  keep  blistering  it,  and  if 
this  does  not  help  it,  paint  the  lump  over  with  tincture  of  iodine 
every  day  the  same  as  above  mentioned.  This  treatment  will  do 
for  tumors  either  in  the  horse  or  in  cattle. 

CANCER. 

Cancers  are  angry  looking  growths  generally,  affecting  cattle^ 
sheep  and  dogs,  and  is  sometimes  noticed  in  horses,  around  the 
head  and  neck,  but  may  affect  the  other  animals  in  any  part  of 
the  body. 

Symptoms. — At  the  first  appearance  of  the  cancer — before  it 
gets  into  the  blood — it  does  not  hurt  the  animal's  health,  but  after 
the  cancer  once  gets  settled  in  the  blood  the  animal  falls  off  in 
condition,  the  growth  grows  very  rapidly,  and  the  least  irritation^ 
causes  it  to  bleed.  In  some  cases  the  disease  gradually  eats  the 
surrounding  tissue  until  it  kills  the  animal,  and  if  it  is  near  a  bone 
it  gradually  works  into  it,  and  when  the  bone  becomes  affected  it 
has  a  very  bad  smell.  When  the  disease  has  arrived  at  this  stage 
it  is  called  bone  cancer. 

Treatment. — In  the  first  stages  of  the  disease  cut  it  out  good 
and  clean,  and  by  doing  this  you  can  sometimes  prevent  its 
spreading.  It  is  best  to  throw  the  animal  and  secure  it  before 
you  attempt  to  cut  the  cancer  out,  and  as  soon  as  you  have  taken  it 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  311 

out  burn  the  place  good  with  a  red-hot  iron,  then  bathe  it  twice  a 
day  with  luke  warm  water  and  apply  the  green  salve  and  white 
lotion  after  each  bathing.  If,  at  any  time  afterwards,  there 
should  appear  to  be  a  red  spot  growing,  tie  the  animal  up  and  give 
the  spot  another  good  burning  with  the  red-hot  iron,  and  keep 
this  treatment  up  until  it  is  healed.  In  some  cases  when  the  dis- 
ease has  run  on  too  long  before  it  has  been  cut  out,  or  after  it  is 
cut  out,  it  grows  again  worse  than  at  first,  or  where  it  has  been 
entirely  neglected  and  allowed  to  run  on  so  long  that  the  bones 
become  affected  and  smell  bad  destroy  the  animal  and  burn  the 
carcass,  as  it  is  not  fit  for  beef  and  would  be  very  apt  to 
communicate  cancer  to  anyone  eating  the  meat. 

ABSCESSES. 

Abscesses  are  of  two  kinds,  one  festers  and  has  matter  in  it, 
while  the  other,  which  is  called  a  serious  abscess,  is  only  a  bruise 
containing  water,  or  serum.  These  kind  of  abscesses  are  gener- 
ally found  around  a  horse's  shoulder,  but  may  aff'ect  any  part  of 
the  body. 

Symptoms  of  a  Serious  Abscess.— About  twenty-four  hours 

after  the  bruise  there  will  be  a  swelling  varying  in  size  from  an 
egg  to  that  of  a  man's  head,  and  when  you  press  on  it  you  can 
tell  there  is  fluid  in  it,  and  on  opening  it  you  will  find  a  watery 
looking  fluid  mixed  with  blood. 

Treatment  of  a  Serious  Abscess.— Cut  a  whole  in  the  bottom 

part  of  the  lump  large  enough  to  run  your  finger  in  and  clean  all 
the  fluid  out,  then  bathe  the  part  well  with  luke  warm  water  and 
salt,  and  insert  melted  green  salve  up  into  the  lump  through  the 
hole  with  a  feather  twice  a  day,  also  run  your  finger  into  the  hole 
once  a  day  to  keep  it  open  until  it  heals  inside,  each  time  after 
bathing  rub  the  outside  of  the  swelling  with  white  liniment  to  help 
get  the  thickening  out  and  keep  the  swelling  down. 

ABSCESSES  THAT  CONTAIN  MATTER. 

Causes.— From  distemper;  from  bruises;  or  from  a  cut  heal- 
ing up  and  there  being  some  substance  left  in  the  cut  which 
afterwards  festers. 

Symptonrs. — Abscesses  differ  from  tumors,  as  they  fester  and 
form  matter;  are  hot  and  sore  to  handle;  cause  the  animal  to  be 
feverish  and  in  pain,  and  after  a  time  they  come  to  a  head  and 
either  break  or  have  to  be  lanced. 


312  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment.  — Bathe  well  with  hot  water  and  salt,  or  vinegar, 
twice  a  day,  and  where  it  is  very  sore  poultice  it  once  in  a  while 
to  help  to  bring  it  to  a  head.  Each  time  after  bathing  ;  pply 
white  liniment  around  the  swelling;  this  also  helps  to  bring  it  to 
a  head.  When  the  abscess  is  ready  ,to  open  there  will  be  a  soft 
place  on  it  where  the  hair  is  falling  off  and  pulls  out  easily;  take 
a  sharp  penknife  or  lance  and  make  a  cut  in  it  large  enough  to 
put  your  finger  in  and  clean  all  the  matter  out,  and  treat  with 
green  salve,  bathing  and  applying  white  liniment  the  same  as  is 
given  in  the  treatment  of  serious  abscesses. 

RUNNING  SORE  (FISTULA). 

Running  sore,  or  fistula,  may  form  in  any  animal  or  in  any 
part  of  the  body. 

Causes. — From  the  animal  getting  a  deep  wound  and  some 
substance  being  left  in  the  wound  after  it  is  healed  which  should 
have  been  taken  out  before  the  wound  healed  up.  It  is  also 
caused  from  diseased  bone,  or  a  small  piece  of  broken  bone  which 
keeps  festering. 

Treatment. — In   all   cases    where  it  has  been  a  wound   that  is 

healed  up  and  then  turns  to  a  running  sore,  you  may  come  to  the 

conclusion  there  is  something  at  the  bottom  of  the  wound  that  is 

causing  the  trouble,  and  if  it  is  in  a  place  you  can  operate  on  it 

without  throwing  the  animal  down,    by   twitching   it,    do   so  (this 

can  generally  be  done  in  the  horse),  but  if  not,  throw  it  down  and 

secure  it,  then  take  a  goose  quill  and  probe   into   the   hole   to  see 

which  way  it  goes  and  the  depth  of  it,  then  with  a  sharp  knife  cut 

a  hole  large  enough  for  your  finger   to  go  in ;   cut  the  hole  to  the 

bottom  of  the   wound   and   clean   out   whatever   there  is  in  there, 

then  treat  the  wound   by   bathing   with   warm  water  twice  a  day. 

After  bathing  each  time  put  melted  green  salve  up  in  the  hole  and 

apply  white  lotion  in  around  the  cut;    keep  this  treatment  up  until 

it  is  healed.      If  it   is   caused   from   a   diseased  or  fractured  bone, 

cut  down  same  as  above  and  take  the  piece  of  bone  out.      If  it  is 

a  diseased  bone,  scrape   it   out   well   with  a  hard  steel  spoon,  and 

then  treat  the  wound    the   same   as   given   above,  and  it  will  soon 

be  all  right. 

STRUCK  BY  LIGHTNING. 

The  shock  is  instantaneous,  and  affects  the  brain  and  nerves. 

If  the  shock  is  heavy  enough  it  causes  immediate  death,  but  if  it 

is  not  severe  enoug"h  to  cause  death  it  leaves  the  animal  prostrate, 
unconscious  and  paralyzed. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  313 

Symptoms. — When  it  does  not  kill  the  animal  it  falls  paralyzed 
and  unconscious,  the  muscles  relax  and  are  soft  and  flabby,  and  in 
some  cases  there  will  be  twitching  of  the  muscles,  the  animal  will 
breathe  hard  and  slower  than  natural,  and  in  most  cases  there 
will  be  spots  of  hair  singed  off  the  body. 

Treatment. — Dash  cold  water  on  the  head,  rub  the  body  and 
legs  well  to  get  the  circulation  up,  then  apply  a  thin  mustard 
plaster  on  the  back  of  the  head  and  sides  of  the  neck;  blanket  the 
animal  well  to  keep  the  body  warm,  and  keep  the  head  cold  by  ap- 
plying cold  cloths,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  strong  enough  to  swallow, 
if  it  is  a  cow  or  horse,  give  it  half  a  pint  of  whisky  in  a  pint  ol 
warm  water;  if  it  is  a  sheep,  dog,  or  pig  give  a  wine  glassful  ol 
whisky  in  half  a  pint  of  warm  water,  pour  the  drench  down  slowl)/ 
so  as  not  to  choke  the  animal  ;  give  a  drench  every  hour,  and 
turn  it  over  from  side  to  side  every  once  in  a  while,  and  attend  to 
its  general  comfort  until  it  is  better.  After  the  shock  has  passed 
off,  if  the  animal  seems  to  be  paralyzed,  for  a  cow  or  horse  give 
a  teaspoonful  of  powdered  nux  vomica  twice  a  day  on  its  tongue 
with  a  spoon,  or  in  its  feed,  this  is  for  a  nerve  stimulant.  Give  a 
sheep,  dog,  or  pig  one-quarter  of  a  teaspoonful  of  powdered  nux 
vomica  twice  a  day  until  it  is  strengthened. 

THE  APPEARANCE  OF  AN  ANIMAL  KILLED  BY  LIGHTNING. 

If   a    thunder-storm   has   just    passed   over,   and  the  animal, 

which  was  previously  healthy,    is  found  dead  shortly  afterwards, 

the  muscles  are  soft  and  flabby  and   you   can   move   its  legs  any 

way    you    like,    and    in    some    cases   there   will   be   spots   of  hair 

scorched  off  the  body,  this  indicates   that  the   animal  was   killed 

by  lightning. 

ERGOTISM. 

This  disease  is  most  often  seen  in  cattle,  and  shows  itself 
mostly  in  the  winter  and  spring  of  the  year. 

Causes. — From  eating  ergotized  grass,  which  is  nothing  more 
than  diseased  grass.  (Ergot  also  affects  rye  wheat).  The  dis- 
eased grass  is  cut  along  with  the  hay  and  other  food,  dried  and 
brought  into  the  barn  and  fed  during  the  winter  with  the  good 
hay  and  other  parts  of  food.  This  is  how  the  animal«  get  it. 
The  ergot  affects  the  grass,  etc.,  on  the  same  principle  as  smut 
does  the  corn.  Ergot  is  mostly  seen  in  grasses  and  rye  wheat, 
but  may  affect  other  kinds  of  grain  that  is  grown  on  low,  rich 
land  in  wet,  hot  seasons. 


314  THE  VETEEINARY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms.— After  cattle  have  eaten  it  and  it  gets  into  the 
blood  it  has  such  a  peculiar  contracting  action  on  the  heart, 
arteries  and  other  vessels  that  it  weakens  the  circulation  of  the 
blood  so  much  that  in  some  cases  it  stops  it  entirely  in  the  legs, 
ears  and  tail,  and  as  soon  as  circulation  in  these  parts  stop  they 
die,  rot  and  drop  off,  and  later  on  in  the  disease  the  brain 
becomes  aflfected  and  the  animal  goes  into  convulsions  and  dies. 

Treatment. — Change  the  food  entirely,  bathe  the  affected 
parts  with  luke  warm  water  twice  a  day,  rub  dry  and  apply  white 
lotion  to  them  after  bathing.      Give  the  following  powder : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound 

Ground  Gentian  Root |       " 

Sulphate  of   Iron |       " 

Mix  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  to  a  horse  or 

cow;  to  smaller  animals  give  one-half  of  the  above  dose. 

HOW  TO  DRY  AN  ANIMAL  THAT  IS  GIVING  MILK. 
For  a  cow,  give  her  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts  in  a  quart  of 
luke  warm  water  as  a  drench,  then  bathe  the  bag  once  a  day  for  a 
week  with  luke  warm  forge  water  (this  is  best  obtained  at  a 
blacksmith  shop  where  they  cool  the  irons).  After  bathing,  milk 
out  a  little  of  the  milk  once  a  day,  on  the  ground,  for  a  few  days, 
then  milk  a  little  out  every  second  or  third  day  for  a  few  days, 
then  once  every  week  or  so  for  a  while,  and  then  stop  milking. 
The  last  time  you  milk  her,  milk  the  bag  out  dry.  During  the 
time  you  are  putting  the  cow  dry,  feed  on  dry,  hard  food.  For 
a  mare,  give  eight  drams  of  bitter  aloes  and  a  teaspoonful  each 
of  ginger  and  common  soda,  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm 
water,  as  a  drench.  After  you  give  the  physic  drench,  let  her 
stand  in  the  stable  for  a  day  or  two,  bathing  the  bag  and 
milking  her  the  same  as  is  given  for  the  cow.  In  drying  a  sow 
give  a  teaspoonful  of  sulphur  in  her  feed  twice  a  day,  and  if  it  is  a 
quiet  sow  bathe  the  milk  glands  with  luke  warm  forge  water  once 
a  day  for  a  week,  and  allow  her  to  run'out.  In  drying  a  ewe  give 
a  tablespoonful  of  Epsom  salts  dissolved  in  a  half  teacupful  of  luke 
warm  water,  once  a  day  for  a  week,  and  bathe  her  bag  with  forge 
water,  and  milk  her  out  in  the  same  way  as  is  given  for  the  cow. 
Why  forge  water  has  such  a  good  effect  in  drying  up  the  secretion 
of  milk  is  on  account  of  the  iron  in  it,  which  gets  into  it  while 
cooling  the  irons  in  the  water,  and  this  iron  has  an  astringent 
action  on  the  milk  glands.  The  reason  the  physic  is  given  is  to 
clean  the  milk  out  of  the  blood. 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  CATTLE.  315 

DISEASES  OF  THE  HEART,  ARTERIES  AiND  BLUUD. 

These  diseases  in  cattle  are  the  same  as  in  the  horse,  and  foi 
causes,  symptoms,  and  treatment  we  refer  you  to  the  pages  in 
Part  II.  of  the  horse  where  they  are  fully  explained. 


NOTICE. 

All  the  doses  of  medicine  which  are  mentioned  in  this  book 
in  the  diseases  and  treatment  of  cattle,  if  not  specially  mentioned 
for  the  ag"e  and  size  of  the  animal,  are  intended  for  an  averagfe 
sized  cow,  steer  or  bull,  so  in  giving  doses  to  young  cattle  you 
must  regulate  the  dose  to  the  age  and  size  of  the  animal.  Calves 
under  one  year  old  would  take  about  one-third  of  the  dose; 
two-3^ear-olds  would  stand  one-half  the  dose ;  three-year-olds  and 
upwards  take  full  dose  mentioned,  and  cattle  over  the  average 
size,  such  as  large  bulls,  cows  or  steers,  can  take  a  little  more 
than  the  dose  mentioned. 


316  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 


PART  IV. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP, 
PIGS,  DOGS  AND  POULTRY. 


CHAPTER  I. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP. 

Sheep  belong-  to  the  class  of  animals  called  ruminants,  which 

means  animals  that  chew  their  cud.      In  regard  to  the  structure  of 

sheep,  they   are   on    the   same    principle    as    that    of   cattle,    only 

smaller.      The  skin  of  the  sheep  is  different  to  that  of  the  ox,  as 

it  grows  wool  instead  of  hair,  and  has  in  the  skin  numerous  small 

glands    which    secrete  oil,    which  is  used  to  lubricate  and  soften 

the  wool. 

COLD  IN  THE  HEAD  (SIMPLE  CATARRH). 

This  is  a  common  disease  in  sheep,  and  consists  of  an  in- 
flamed state  of  the  lining'  of  the  nose  and  the  cavities  of  the  head. 

Causes. —  From  being  left  out  in  a  cold  rain  and  exposure  to 
cold  weather,  and  is  mostly  seen  in  the  fall  and  spring,  during  the 
seasons  of  cold  rains.  It  is  often  seen  during  washing-  and 
shearing   time. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  dischargfe  from  the  nose,  and  the 
affected  sheep  keeps  snuffling,  sneezing  and  coughing;  does 
not  feed  well  and  seems  very  dull. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  very  simple  in  most  cases. 
Keep  thfe  sheep  dry,  warm  and  clean,  and  this  often  effects  a  cure 
in  a  few  days  without  any  medicine ;  but  if  the  disease  does 
not  pass   off,    give   the  following  mixture: 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  317 

Nitrate  of   Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pouad. 

Sulphur J      " 

Ground  Gentian  Root ^      •' 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  twice  a  day  on  the 
tongue  with  a  spoon,  in  its  feed  or  as  a  drench  ;  feed  hot  mashes, 
and  take  special  care  to  see  that  it  does  not  get  wet,  for  the  disease 
might  settle  on  its  lungs.  If  the  discharge  from  the  head  gets 
clogged  around  the  nose  wash  it  off  with  warm  water  and  soap.  In 
some  cases,  where  the  above  treatment  does  not  stop  the  dis- 
ease, change  the  treatment  to  half  a  teaspoonful  of  ground  sulphate 
of  iron  three  times  a  day  in  its  feed,  or  on  its  tongue  with  a  spoon. 
Iron  acts  on  discharges  of  any  kind  in  helping  to  stop  them,  and 
also  builds  up  the  system,  for  it  is  a  great  tonic. 

SORE  THROAT. 

Causes. — The  causes  are  similar  to  those  of  catarrh,  only  the 
throat  being  the  weaker  part  it  settles  there  instead  of  elsewhere. 

Symptoms. — There  is  swelling  and  soreness  around  the  throat, 
and  the  animal  holds  its  head  and  neck  poked  out,  and  when  it 
coughs  it  seems  to  try  to  save  itself  all  it  can.  The  animal  is  dull, 
eats  very  little,  and  when  drinking  the  water  runs  out  through 
its  nese. 

Treatment. — Give 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur ^       " 

Powdered  Alum ^       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  small  teaspoonful  on  its  tongue 

with  a  spoon  three  times  a  day.      As  well    as  giving  the   powder 

rub  the  throat  three  times  a  day  with  white  liniment.      Feed  on 

soft  food   raised  high  so  it  will  not  have  to  bend  its  head  over  to 

eat.      Give  all  the  cold  water  it  wants  to  drink  in  small  quantities 

at  a  time;  also  take  good  care  of  it,  not  allowing  it  to  get  wet  or 

cold,  and  it  will  soon  get  all  right. 

BRONCHITIS. 

This  is  inflammation  of  the  lining  of  the  bronchial  tubes. 

Causes. — From  being  chased  by  a  dog  ;  inhaling  smoke,  or 
getting  wet  are  the  principal  causes  of  bronchitis  in  sheep. 

SymptOms.-^The  affected  sheep  will  be  dull,  breathe  heavy 
and  quick,  the  ears  will  lop  over,  and,  like  the  ox,  they  will  lie 
down  most  of  the  time  while  suffering  with  lung  trouble.  If  you 
listen  at  the  bottom  of  the  windpipe  a  wheezing  noise  will 
be  heard. 


318  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  animal  very  quiet   in  an  airy  place  and 

give  the  following  : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nifcre J  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 3  drops. 

Mix  in  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  and  pour  this  down  as 

a  drench.     In  drenching  do  not  raise  the  head  too  high,  and  be  very 

careful  not  to  choke  the    animal.      If   the    sheep  wishes  to  drink 

give  cold  water   in   small   quantities  ;  also,  small,  hot  mashes  and 

grass,  or  hay  to  eat.     Give    the    sheep    the    above    drench    three 

times  a  day  for  a  day  or  so  until  it  gets  relief.      If  the  sheep  seems 

very    weak    then    change     the     drenches    to     something     more 

stimulating. 

Whisky 1  wine  glassful. 

Ginger .1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  oatmeal  gruel  and  pour  this  down 
very  carefully.  Give  this  drench  three  times  a  day  until  it  gets 
strong  ;  also,  be  sure  to  keep  it  warm  and  dry,  and  allow  it  to 
have  plenty  of  fresh  air  without  being  in  a  draft. 

FILARIA  BRONCHITIS. 

Causes. — From  small  germs  getting  into  the  system  and 
settling  in  the  lining  of  the  bronchial  tubes  and  inflaming  them. 
This  disease  is  not  very  common,  but  sometimes  we  have  an  out- 
break of  it  where  the  sheep  are  pasturing  on  a  low-lying  pasture, 
and,  as  a  general  thing,  if  one  of  the  flock  gets  affected  with  it, 
nearly  all  the  herd  will  be  showing  symptoms  of  the  disease. 

Symptoms. — -They  have  a  dry,  husky  cough  ;  fall  off  in  condi- 
tion, and  with  the  slightest  exertion  the  animal  will  breathe  heavy, 
and  on  placing  your  ear  to  the  bottom  of  the  windpipe  you  will 
hear  a  wheezing  noise,  the  sheep  vi^ill  not  feed  well,  scarcely  ever 
chews  its  cud  and  lies  down  most  of  the  time.  If  you  have  several 
sheep  showing  the  above  symptoms,  and  they  are  pasturing  on  a 
low-lying  pasture  you  may  come  to  the  conclusion  it  is  this 
disease  they  have. 

Treatment. — Turpentine  seems   to   have  a  special  action    in 

cases  of  this  kind,  because  as  soon   as   it  gets    into  the    blood    it 

spreads  through  the  system  and  has  a  tendency  to  kill  all  kinds  of 

germs.      Give  the  following  : 

Spirits  of  Turpentine ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil ^  teacupful. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  every  third  day  until  the  disease 
disappears.   Another  good  treatment  is  to  burn  sulphur  in  a  stable 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  319 

where  the  sheep  are  and  allow  them  to  breathe  the  fumes  of  the 
sulphur.  Do  this  twice  a  week  and  it  will  kill  the  germs  and  stop 
the  disease.  The  way  to  tell  when  they  have  as  much  as  they  can 
bear  is  to  have  a  man  stand  in  the  stable  with  them,  and  when 
he  has  all  he  can  stand  let  the  sheep  out  of  the  stable.  Sheep  can 
stand  about  the  same  amount  of  the  fumes  of  sulphur  as  a  man. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  LUNGS  AND  ITS  COVERING. 

Causes. — This  generally  comes  after  sore  throat  when  the 
sheep  get  cold,  or  from  a  neglected  cold  in  the  head,  or  from  get- 
ting chilled  from  being  in  a  cold  rain.  Sometimes  it  is  caused 
from  a  sheep  getting  cold  after  lambing. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  lies  down  with  its  ears  lopped  over, 
breathing  heavy,  its  legs  and  ears  are  cold,  and  it  does  not  eat 
nor  chew  its  cud,  but  seems  feverish  and  greedy  to  drink.  Some- 
times it  will  cough.  If  you  separate  the  wool  on  its  side  and 
listen  with  your  ear  you  will  hear  a  peculiar  grating  sound  in  the 
lungs,  and  the  affected  sheep  will  moan  once  in  a  while  as  if  in 
distress.  The  sheep  gets  very  weak,  falls  off  in  condition  and  will 
die  in  a  short  time  if  it  does  not  get  relief.  In  some  cases  the 
sheep  will  linger  nine  or  ten  days. 

Treatment. — Put  the  sheep  in  a  dry,  warm,  well  ventilated 
box-stall  or  stable.  If  the  sheep  has  just  been  shorn  cover  the 
body  well  with  blankets,  but  if  not  just  keep  dry.  Give  the  fol- 
lowing medicine  : 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre J  ounce  or  1  tablespoonfuL 

Ginger 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Fleming  Tincture  of  Aconite 3  drops. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  water  and   give  as  a  drench.     Give  this 

three  times  a  day,  being  careful  not  to  lift  its  head   too  high  and 

choke  it,    and  give  plenty  of  time  for  the  animal  to  swallow  the 

drench.     In  a  day  or   so,  when   the  animal   is   better,  but    seems 

weak,  give  the  following  drench,  as  a  stimulant : 

Whisky 1  wine  glassful. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Oatmeal  Gruel ^  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a  day  until  the  sheep 
gets  strong  and  commences  to  feed  all  right  again.  During  the 
time  the  sheep  is  sick  give  cold  water  to  drink  in  small  quantities, 
but  often.  If  it  will  eat  mashes  with  flaxseed  in  it  give  that,  but  if 
not  give  any  other  kind  of  grain  it  will  eat. 


320  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

TROUBLES  OF  THE  TEETH. 

Sometimes,  when  the  sheep  is  a  year  or  two  old,  there  wilF 
be  a  cap  of  one  of  the  grinders,  while  shedding-  the  teeth,  stick 
on  the  new  tooth  and  not  fall  oflF;  this  causes  the  animal  difficulty 
in  eatmg. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  does  not  do  well;  would  like  to  eat; 
takes  food  into  its  mouth  and  chews  it,  but  throws  it  out  again 
and  goes  off,  and  although  it  seems  to  be  failing  and  does  not 
eat,  still  it  does  not  seem  sick.  It  will  sometimes  be  noticed  ta 
be  working  its  tongue  around  its  mouth. 

Treatment. — Catch  the  animal  and  examine  the  mouth,  and  if 
it  is  a  cap  you  can  tell  it,  for  it  will  be  higher  up  than  the  other 
teeth  in  the  row.  Remove  the  cap  with  a  pincers  and  the  anima! 
will  soon  be  all  right. 

PIECES  OF  WOOD  OR  ANY  SUBSTANCE  LODGED  IN  THE  TEETH. 

In  eating,  the  sheep  gets  hold  of  a  piece  of  stick  or  some 
other  substance  and  it  gets  caught  between  the  teeth  or  around 
the  lips  or  gums,  and  it  cannot  work  it  out  with  its  tongue. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  is  not  eating  and  keeps  its  tongue 
working  around  in  its  mouth   as   if  trying  to  work  something  out. 

Treatment. —  Examine  the  mouth,  and  if  you  find  anything" 
caught  in  it,  remove  it,  either  with  your  fingers  or  a  pincers. 

OLD  SHEEP  LOSING  THEIR  TEETH. 

Sometimes  an  old  ewe  that  has  lost  some  of  her  teeth 
gets  with  lamb ;  you  want  to  keep  her  over  another  year,  and 
she  only  has  two  or  three  front  teeth,  which  interfere  greatly  with 
her  eating,  and  she  runs  down  and  gets  so  poor  that  you  think 
she  will  not  pull  through. 

Treatment. — Catch  the  ew^e  and  pull  out  the  remaining  front 
teeth  and  let  her  gum  it,  and  as  soon  as  the  gums  heal  up  she 
will  do  well  and  be  able  to  eat,  and  w'ill  be  good  for  a  year  or  so. 
The  reason  why  the  sheep  did  not  do  well  was  because  all  the  food 
she  could  get  to  eat  was  merely  what  she  could  catch  with  the  few- 
stubs  of  teeth  that  remained  in  her  mouth,  and  when  they  are  pulled 
out  she  can  take  the  food  in  all  right  with  her  gums  and  chew  it 
with  her  back  teeth,  which  are  generally  all  right  at  this  age. 

CHOKING  IN  SHEEP. 

This  is  not  nearly  so  common  in  sheep  as  it  is  in  caitle,  but 
sometimes  it  occurs  when  they  are  fed  on  sliced  roots. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  321 

Symptoms. — The  animal  stops  feeding",  froths  at  the  mouth, 
coughs  and  keeps  working-  its  tongue,  and  in  some  cases  is 
bloated  and  the  eyes  bloodshot. 

Treatment. — Pour  down  a  little  raw  linseed  oil  as  a  drench: 
in  some  cases  this  will  start  whatever  is  lodged  in  the  throat  causing 
the  trouble.  Feel  along  the  bottom  of  the  neck,  and  if  you  can 
find  the  obstruction  try  to  work  it  up  or  down  with  your  hands, 
but  be  sure  you  do  not  mistake  the  larynx  or  Adam's  apple  for 
the  lump.  If  this  treatment  fails,  get  a  probang  that  is  used  for 
choking  in  cattle  and  pass  it  down  in  the  same  way  as  is 
explained  for  choking  in  cattle,  being  very  careful  in  passing  it 
down,  for  the  sheep  is  a  more  tender  animal  than  the  cow.  Oil 
the  probang  well  before  passing  it  down. 

BLOATING   (TYMPANITIS)  IN  SHEEP. 

This  disease  in  sheep  affects  the  first  part  of  the  stomach  or 
paunch. 

Causes. — From  a  change  of  food  of  some  kind;  getting  a  feed 
of  wet  clover;  getting  a  feed  of  grain;  by  chilling  the  stomach 
with  a  big  drink  of  cold  water;   or  by  eating  iirozen  roots  or  grass.. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  is  uneasy;  keeps  getting  up  andi 
down  and  seems  in  pain;  breathes  heavy  and  keeps  moaning;,  orsi 
examining  the  sheep  it  is  found  bloated  on  the  left  side;  if  you 
separate  the  wool  on  the  left  side  over  the  paunch  and  tap  on  it,^ 
it  gives  a  hollow,  drum-like  sound,  showing  that  there  is  gas 
inside. 

Treatment — The  treatment  must  be  quick.  Give  the  follow- 
ing mixture : 

Epsom  Salts ^  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre ^  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda I  teaspoonf ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

If   this  does  not  give  relief  in  one  hour,  give  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  teacupf ul. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine ^  ounco,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Mix  and   give   as  a  drench.      If  this  does  not  give   relief  in 

two  hours,  follow  up  with  the  following: 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre ^  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench 
every  two  hours  until  it  gets  relief.      In  very  urgent  cases,  where 


-21- 


322  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

the  bloating-  is  so  bad  that  it  endangers  the  sheep's  life,  tapping  is 
performed  by  measuring  first  half  way  between  the  point  of  the 
hip  and  the  last  rib,  and  about  three  inches  down  from  the  back 
bone,  then  clip  the  wool  off  that  space  about  the  size  of  your  hand 
and  cut  a  small  hole  in  the  skin  just  large  enough  to  allow  the 
trocar  and  cannula  to  go  in;  the  one  used  for  tapping  cattle  will  do 
for  the  sheep  by  oiling  it  first  and  pressing  it  through  the  hole 
that  you  cut  in  the  skin  downwards  and  inwards  right  into  the 
paunch.  Leave  the  cannula  in  and  pull  the  trocar  out,  and  the  gas 
will  all  escape  through  the  hole  in  the  cannula  and  save  the  sheep's 
life.  As  soon  as  the  gas  is  all  out,  draw  out  the  cannula  and  let 
the  hole  heal  up  itself.  If  you  have  not  a  trocar  and  cannula,  run 
a  penknife  in  the  same  place  as  described;  this  will  let  the  gas  out. 

IMPACTION  OF  THE  FIRST  PART  OF  THE  STOMACH  WITH  FOOD. 

Causes. — From  the  sheep  getting  at  some  food  that  it  is  not 
used  to  eating,  such  as  grain,  or  being  turned  into  a  good  pasture 
dfter  feeding  in  a  poor  one.  Feeding  a  poor  quality  of  peas, 
straw  or  clover  hay,  especially  if  it  is  a  little  musty  or  over  ripe, 
will  sometimes  cause  it. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  will  not  be  eating,  looks  dull,  grates 
ts  teeth,  does  not  chew  its  cud,  and  has  a  short,  quick  grunt 
while  breathing,  caused  from  the  food  in  the  stomach  pressing  on 
the  lungs.  The  animal  walks  about  in  a  stupid  manner,  and  has 
v'ery  little  passage  from  the  bowels,  and  what  does  pass  is  hard 
and  dry.  By  pressing  on  the  left  side  over  the  stomach  it  is 
found  to  be  hard,  and  by  tapping  on  it,  it  makes  a  dull,  heavy 
sound,  showing  that  there  is  food  lying  in  the  first  part  of  the 
stomach  or  paunch. 

Treatment.— Give  the  following: 

Epsom  Salts ^  pound. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  .   " 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre ^  ounce  or  2  tablespoonf uls. 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench,  then 

wait  for  twenty-four  hours  to  see  if  this  dose  will  physic  and  clean 

out  the  stomach;  if  it  does  not  physic  in  that  time,  give: 

Raw  Linseed  Oil ^  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonf ul. 

Mix   and   give   as   a   drench.      After  the  physic  operates,    to 
strensfthen  the  animal  pfive: 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  323 

Whisky 1  wineglassful. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Oatmeal  Gruel i  pint. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  three  times  a  day  until  the  sheep 
g"ets  strong-. 

COLIC  IN  SHEEP. 

This  is  cramps  of  the  bowels. 

C3.USes. — From  eating  frozen  grass  or  roots;  from  taking  a 
cold  drink  of  water;  or  from  eating  anything  that  disagrees  with 
the  bowels. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  will  lie  down,  moan,  strike  its  feet  up 
against  its  belly,  jump  up  and  seem  quite  easy  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  the  pain  will  come  on  again.  This  is  the  only  disease 
where  the  sheep  acts  like  this. 

Treatment. — Relieve  the  spasms  by  giving 

Tincture  of  Laudanum J  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

hour  until  the  animal  gets  relief.      In  some  cases,  after  you  give 

a  few  doses  and  it  does  not  get  relief,  try  this  drench  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil ^  pint. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  and  this  will  sometimes  give  im- 
mediate relief. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  BOWELS. 

This  is  a  common  disease  in  young  sheep. 

Causes. — From  eating  a  lot  of  snow;  from  eating  dirty  pea 
straw;  or  from  a  severe  chill  caused  from  being  out  in  a  cold  rain 
and  getting  the  wool  very  wet. 

Symptoms. — There  is  severe  pain,  the  animal  gets  up  and 
down  and  keeps  pawing  first  with  one  foot  and  then  other,  the  legs 
and  ears  are  cold,  and  when  you  press  on  its  belly  it  causes  it  to 
moan  with  pain.  This  disease  differs  from  colic  for  the  sheep 
does  not  get  easy  spells  but  the  pain  continues  all  the  time. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  as  soon  as  noticed  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 3  drops. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil  and  give  as  a  drench.  Turn 
the  sheep  on  its  back  and  rub  in  one-quarter  ot  a  pound  of 
mustard,  wet  up  with  vinegar,  on  its  belly  where  the  wool  is 
short.      If  it  is  a  ram  be   careful   that   you   do   not  get  any  of  the 


824  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

mustard  around  the  point  of  the  sheath,  for  it  will  cause  the 
sheath  to  be  sore  and  irritate  him,  afterwards  grease  where  you; 
blistered;  keep  it  very  dry,  and  ii;  a  comfortable,  warm  place,  and 
give  the  following  drench  every  hour  after  the  first  one  until 
the  sheep  gets  relief  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum J  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 3  drops. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke   warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

TAPE  WORM  IN  SHEEP. 

Tapeworm  usually  affect  young  sheep,  but  may  affect  old 
ones.  The  disease  is  generally  seen  in  sheep  that  are  pasturing 
on  low,  rich  pasture  fields,  where  dogs  that  are  affected  with  tape- 
worm often  run  across  and  leave  their  droppings,  for  this 
is  the  way  the  disease  is  carried,  and  spreads  from  one  flock 
to  the  other.  When  one  sheep  becomes  affected  with  tapeworm, 
the  worm  grows  rapidly  until  it  assumes  the  length  of  from  ten  to 
fifty  feet,  and  is  made  up  of  flat  joints  about  half  an  inch  long.  After 
the  tapeworm  gets  large,  frequently  these  joints  become  broken 
off  and  pass  away  with  the  manure,  this  joint  is  alive  when  it 
comes  away  and  remains  alive  and  crawls  about  on  the  grass,  and 
very  often  another  sheep  comes  along  and  picks  it  up,  and  as  soon 
as  it  reaches  the  bowels  it  begins  to  grow  and  forms  a  new 
tapeworm,  this  is  the  way  the  disease  spreads  among  the  flock 
of  sheep. 

Symptoms. — The  animal  falls  off  in  condition,  and  the  eyes 
have  a  peculiar,  dull  look.  The  animal  has  a  good  appetite,  but 
what  it  eats  does  not  do  it  much  good,  for  the  nourishment  all 
goes  to  nourish  the  tapeworm.  As  soon  as  these  symptoms  are 
noticed  in  one  or  more  young  sheep,  look  out  for  tape- 
worm and  watch  their  droppings  very  closely,  and  if  you 
see  joints  of  flat  worm  about  half  an  inch  long  coming  away,  you 
can  be  sure  that  they  are  affected  with  tapeworm.  This  is  a 
dangerous  disease,  and  sometimes  before  the  owner  is  aware,  he  will 
lose  a  lamb  or  two,  and  it  is  best  treated  as  soon  as  first  noticed. 

Treatment. — Separate  the  diseased  sheep  from  the  ones  that 
do  not  show  the  symptoms  and  put  them  in  a  stable,  not  allowing 
them  to  eat  anything  for  twelve  hours;  at  the  end  of  this  time 
they  are  ready  for  treatment.     Give  the  following: 

Oil  of  Male  Shield  Fern 1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 4  teacupf ul. 

Mix  and  give  as  a  drench  to  each  of  the  affected  sheep. 
After  this  drench  feed  them   light,  keeping  them  in  the  stable  so 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  325 

you  can  watch  their  dropping-s,  and  if  it  works  on  any  of  them 
as  it  generally  does,  you  cannot  miss  it,  for  there  will  be  a  bunch 
of  worm  as  large  as  your  two  hands  come  away.  If  it  should 
not  act  on  the  sheep,  starve  it  again  for  twelve  hours  and 
repeat  the  dose,  and  if  it  is  a  large  sheep,  give  a  teaspoonful  and 
a  half  of  the  oil  of  male  shield  fern.  Keep  this  treatment  up  until 
the  worm  has  passed  away.  Watch  the  other  sheep  to  see  if  any 
■of  them  become  affected.      The  dose  for  a  small  lamb  is : 

Oil  of  Male  Shield  Fern |  dram  or  ^  teaspoonful. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil J  teacupf ul. 

Note. — This  disease  affects  sheep  and  lambs  far  more  than 

stockowners  have  any  idea  of.      Often  these  pieces  of  white,  flat 

worm  are  seen  coming  away  with  the  manure,  without  considering 

the  danger  the  flock  of  sheep  are  exposed  to;  they  allow  it  to  run 

on,  not  treated,  until  a  few  lambs  or  sheep  die,  then  treatment  is 

given  to  the  balance  after  there  is  a  heavy  loss ;   so  you  see  the 

importance  of  watching   things  like  this.      A  trifling   cost   and   a 

little  trouble  will  often  save  heavy  losses  in  your  flock. 

FLUKE  DISEASE  IN  SHEEP. 
This  is  a  disease  of  the  liver  and  is  very  common  in  England, 
but  not  very  common  in  this  country,  not  so  much  so  as  it  is  in 
the  cattle  of  this  country,  This  disease  is  fully  described  in 
connection  with  fluke  disease  in  cattle,  for  the  causes,  symptoms 
and  treatment  are  the  same.  You  will  find  a  thorough  explana- 
tion given  there. 

GRUB  IN  THE  HEAD  OF  SHEEP. 

This  is  a  common  disease  in  some  localities,  especially  if  the 
sheep  are  pasturing  on  low-lying  swampy  lands  where  there  are 
pools  of  stagnant  water. 

Causes. — The  way  this  disease  spreads  is  by  allowing  a  sheep 
that  has  died  of  grub  in  the  head  to  lie  and  be  eaten  by  dogs  of 
the  neighborhood,  and  when  they  are  going  across  pasture  fields 
they  leave  their  droppings,  which  contain  the  grub,  in  the  pasture. 
The  grub,  being  still  alive,  crawls  onto  the  grass,  and  the  sheep, 
while  eating  the  grass,  takes  the  grub  into  the  stomach, 
and  in  this  way  it  gets  into  the  blood  along  with  the  nourishment 
and  passes  around  in  it  until  it  comes  m  contact  with  the  brain, 
where  it  settles  itself  in  the  upper  side  of  it  as  near  the 
centre  as  it  can  lodge. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  are  very  peculiar.  The  sheep 
Lholds  its  head  to  one  side  and  a  little  higher  than  natural,  and  for 


S26  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

a  tew  days  will   gfo  around   in  this   manner  acting-  very  strange. 

The     s3'mptoms     become     worse;     the    animal     will     take     spells 

of  running,  and  if  there  is  a  fence  in  its  road  it  will  run  up  against 

it,    or  if  there  is  a  ditch,    it  will   run    into   it   as   if  it  were  blind 

and   fall   over,  then  take  a  fit  of  jerking  for  a  minute  or  so,  then 

get  up  and  be  apparently  all   right  for  half  an  hour  or  so,   when 

another  fit  will  come   on.      In  other  cases,  if  the  grub  settles  a 

little  to  one  side  of  the  brain  the  animal  will  keep  running  around 

and    around    in    a   circle.      These   symptoms  gradually  get  worse, 

and  the  fits  come  on  oftener,    and   if  not   relieved  will  die  in  a  few 

weeks. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as   first  noticed   the   grub  can  be  killed 

and  absorbed  away  by  giving 

Spirits  of  Turpentine .  ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoouful. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  teacupful. 

Mix  and   give   as  a  drench   every  second    or    third    day    for 

a   week    or    so.      This   will    kill    the   grub,    which   will    gradually 

absorb  away  itself,  and  the  sheep  will  soon   be  all  right.      During^ 

treatment,  keep  the  sheep  in  a  small  field  where  it  cannot  hurt  itself; 

catch   it  every  day  and  feel  around  the  top  of  the  head  for  a  soft 

spot  in  the  bone  over  the   brain  by   pressing  hard  on  it,  and  when 

you  find  it  take  a  sharp  knife   and   cut  the   skin  off"  the   soft   spot 

about   the   size   of   a   twenty-five    cent    piece,    and    then    cut    the 

diseased  bone,  being  careful   not  to  touch   the  brain.      As  soon  as 

you  have  cut  around  it,  raise  the  piece  of  soft  bone  out  and  leave 

it  out.      This    soft   piece  of  bone,    being   over  where  the  grub  is, 

will  at  once  give  the  sheep  relief,   for   the  grub  will  bulge  up  in 

the  hole  and   take  the  pressure  off  the  brain.      Do  not  attempt  to- 

remove  the  grub,  for  nature  will   remove  it  in  a  few  days  itself. 

The  only  thing  to  be  done  after  the  bone  is  cut  out  is  to  keep  the 

sheep   in  a  cool   place   where   flies   will    not   bother   it   and   cause 

maggots.      If  they  should,  wash  it  out  clean  with  luke  warm  water 

and  soap,  then  apply  the  white  lotion  with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic 

acid  in  it  once  or  twice  a  day  and  it  will  be  all   right.      The  hole 

in    the    bone   will   soon    heal   over.      Providing  you  should  lose  a 

sheep  with  this  disease,  bury  it  deep  so  the  dogs   will  not  get  at  it 

and  carry   it  to  other  sheep.      Never,  in  any  case,  pour   spirits  of 

turpentine   in   the  nostrils,    for  it  will  do  no  good,    is  cruel,    and 

sometimes  kills  the   sheep   itself.      Always  give  the  turpentine  as 

above  mentioned. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  327 

SCAB  IN  SHEEP. 

This  disease  somewhat  resembles  mang"e  in  horses.  It  is  a 
very  serious  disease  in  some  countries,  but  is  not  much  seen  in 
Canada  or  United  States. 

Causes. —  it  is  a  contag-ious  disease  and  is  caused  from  little 
germs  or  parasites  gfetting  down  into  the  skin.  The  disease 
spreads  by  these  germs  or  parasites  getting  from  one  sheep  to 
another. 

Symptoms. — There  is  extreme  itchiness,  and  the  sheep  is 
continually  rubbing  itself  against  something.  The  wool,  on 
account  of  the  germs  or  parisites  working  in  the  skin,  falls  off 
in  patches,  the  sheep  falls  off  in  condition,  and  if  you  examine 
the  scabs  with  a  microscope  you  will  see  the  minute  germs  or 
parasites.  When  one  sheep  is  affected  in  a  flock  it  soon  spreads 
and  affects  them  all.  Be  careful  in  handling  them,  as  you  are 
apt  to  get  the  disease  yourself. 

Treatment. — Clip  the  remaining  part  of  the  wool  off  short 
enough  to  get  the  medicine  down  to  the  skin.  A  very  cheap  and 
effective  remedy  is  creolin  water,  made  by  adding  two  teaspoon- 
fuls  of  creolin  to  a  pint  of  rain  water.  Shake  well  and  rub  in  all 
over  the  body  with  a  brush.  Do  this  every  second  day  until  the 
disease  stops  and  the  wool  starts  to  grow.  If  this  should  fail, 
there  are  regular  sheep  dips  for  this  disease  which  can  be  bought 
at  drug  stores;  it  is  done  up  in  a  package  and  it  contains  the  full 
directions  how  to  use  it.  As  soon  as  you  notice  the  disease  among 
your  flock,  separate  the  affected  sheep  from  the  sound  ones,  and 
thoroughly  clean  the  stable  out  and  burn  sulphur  in  it  with  the 
doors  closed. 

WOOL  FALLING  OFF  SHEEP  IN  THE  SPRING. 

Causes. — From  feeding  on  hot  food,  such  as  pea  or  wheat 
meal,  and  keeping  them  in  a  place  that  is  too  hot. 

Symptoms. —  In  the  spring,  just  about  lambing  time,  the  wool 
will  become  loose  and  fall  off  in  patches.  The  animal  does  not 
seem  itchy  to  any  great  extent,  but  will  rub  some. 

Treatment. — As  soon    as    noticed,  change    the    feed    and  put 

them  in  a  cooler  place,  being  careful  they  do  not  catch  cold,  and, 

instead  of  the  rich  food,  feed  roots  of  some  kind  to  get  the  blood 

cool.      In  very  bad  cases  give  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre i  pound. 

Sulphur i       " 

Ground  Gentian  Boot i       " 


328  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  well  together  and  give  a  teaspoonful  on  the  tongues  of 
the  affected  sheep  every  night.  To  prevent  sheep  from  loosing 
their  wool,  keep  them  in  a  cool  place, feed  chopped  oats  and  plenty 
of  roots,  such  as  mangels,  to  keep  the  blood  cool. 

SHEEP  TICKS. 

Sheep  ticks  are  best  got  rid  of  about  shearing  time,  by  catch- 
ing the  lambs  and  sheep  and  giving  them  a  good  rubbing  all  over 
with  creolin  water,  using  two  tablespoonfuls  of  creolin  to  a  pint  of 
water,  by  rubbing  it  in  well  with  a  brush  one  dressing  will 
generally  cure  the  whole  flock.  If  in  other  times  of  the  year,  it  is 
best  to  use  a  regular  sheep  dip  which  can  be  bought  at  almost 
any  drug  store,  the  full  directions  are  given  in  the  package. 

MAGGOTS  IN  WOUNDS  ON  SHEEP. 

Maggots  are  a  very  common  thing  in  sheep  when  they  have  a 
wound  that  has  been  neglected,  or  they  will  in  some  cases  form 
around  their  bag  when  it  has  festered  or  bealed. 

Treatment. — Wash  the  parts  well  with  soap  and  warm  water; 
then  apply  creolin  lotion,  containing  creolin,  two  tablespoonfuls  to 
a  pint  of  water.  The  first  time  you  applj'  the  lotion  put  a  good 
lot  on  to  kill  the  maggots,  then  bathe  twice  a  day  and  apply  the 
creolin  lotion  to  the  parts  each  time  after  bathing,  until  healed. 

DIARRHCEA  in  SHEEP. 

This  disease  does  not  occur  so  often  in  sheep  as  it  does 
in  cattle. 

Causes. — From  a  very  cold  drink  when  the  animal  is  dry; 
from  a  sudden  change  in  the  feed,  or  from  eating  anything  that  is 
frozen  or  very  green,  will  sometimes  cause  it. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  will  be  dull  ;  will  not  eat  much,  and 
passes  a  thin,  watery  manure  often,  and  the  hind  legs  and  tail  gets 
wet  and  dirty  looking. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Castor  Oil h  teacupful. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum |  ounce  or  1  tablespoonf  ul. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonful. 

Common   Soda I  " 

Mix  in  a  half  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a 
drench,  then  follow  up  with  : 

Tincture  of  Laudanum }  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Common  Soda I  teaspoonful. 

Ginger  1 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench 
every  three  hours    until    the    diarrhoea    stops.      In   very  bad  cases 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  329 

add  one-quarter  ounce,  or  one  tablespoonful  of  tincture  of  catechu 

in  each  drench  and  this  will  make  a  sure  cure.      Give  luke  warm 

water  to  drink  with  dry  flour  dusted  in  it  to  make  a  sort  of  a  thin 

gruel. 

BITES  FROM  DOGS  WORRYING  SHEEP. 

Bathe  the  wound  off  with   luke  warm   water  and  soap  twice 

a  day  each  time  after  bathing-,  then  wipe    dry  and  apply  the  white 

lotion  and  this  will  soon  heal  it  up. 

SORE  EYES  IN  SHEEP. 

Causes. — From  something  getting  into  the  eye  ;  from  an  in- 
jury to  the  eye  ;  from  getting  cold  in  the  eye,  or  anything  that  will 
cause  it  to  be  irritated. 

Symptoms. — The  eye  is  partly  closed  and  water  runs  from  the 
corner,  and  when  you  open  the  eye  it  is  found  to  look  red, 
very  sore,  and  inflamed,  and  may  have  a  scum  over  it. 

Treatment.^ — Catch  the  sheep  and  examine  the  eye,  and  iJ 
there  is  anything  in  it,  remove  it.  To  get  the  soreness  and  in- 
flammation out  of  the  eye,  bathe  twice  a  day  with  new  milk  or 
warm  water,  and  then  apply  the  eye  wash  mentioned  among  the 
receipts  in  the  back  of  this  book  in  and  around  the  eye.  Keep 
this  treatment  up  until  it  is  all  right. 

BROKEN  LEGS  IN  LAMBS  OR  SHEEP. 
Causes. — From  being  run  over  by  anything  on  the  road,  or 
from  a  kick  or  an  injury  of  any  kind  that  will  cause  a  fracture  of  the 
bones.  Providing  that  the  fracture  or  break  is  so  bad  that  the 
bones  pierce  through  the  skin,  it  is  best  to  kill  the  sheep.  If  it  is 
fat,  butcher  it  and  use  it  for  meat.  But  if  the  fracture  is  not  so 
bad  and  the  sheep  is  young  and  you  want  to  save  it,  set  the  bones 
to  their  place  and  apply  a  starch  bandage,  which  is  a  bandage 
saturated  in  starch,  and  in  drawing  it  out  of  the  starch,  draw  the 
bandage  between  your  fingers,  so  as  to  scrape  as  much  of  the 
starch  out  of  the  bandage  as  you  can,  for  it  will  harden  quicker 
and  better;  then  wrap  it  moderately  tight  around  the  leg  over  the 
place  where  it  is  broken,  being  sure  to  have  the  bones  set 
straight,  then  have  someone  to  hold  the  sheep  and  keep  the  leg 
straight  until  the  bandage  hardens,  after  this  the  bandage  will 
ftold  the  leg  to  its  place;  leave  the  bandage  on  for  a  month  or  six 
weeks.  Keep  the  sheep  as  quiet  as  possible  during  treatment. 
Watch  the  sheep's  leg  where  the  bandage  is  on  for  fear  it  would 
make  the  leg   sore   or  be    on   too   tight ;   if  it    should,    change  the 


S30  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

bandage.      Leave   the   bandage   on   until   the    sheep  can  walk   on 
the  leg  all  right,  then  cut  the  bandage  off. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  TESTICLES  IN  RAMS. 

This  is  sometimes  seen  in  rams  and  is  caused  from  an  injury 
of  some  kind,  such  as  the  bunt  of  another  sheep  or  a  kick  of  some 
kind. 

Symptoms. — This  disease  is  very  painful.  The  ram  walks 
stiff;  the  bag  will  be  swollen  and  sore  to  handle;  he  will  not  eat 
much,  and  lays  down  most  of  the  time  to  relieve  the  testicles  as 
much  as  possible.  If  the  inflammation  is  allowed  to  run  on  the 
bag  and  testicles  will  become  blackened  and  mortified;  it  will 
pass  up  the  cords  of  the  testicles  into  the  belly  and  soon  kill  the 
ram. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  the  trouble  is  noticed,  separate  him 
from  the  rest  of  the  flock  ;  keep  him  in  a  quiet,  cool  place  and 
poultice  the  bag  with  a  hot  poultice  of  half  linseed  meal  and  bran, 
change  the  poultice  every  three  hours,  and  each  time  while  chang- 
ing the  poultice  bathe  the  bag  with  hot  vinegar  for  a  while  before 
applying  the  next  poultice.      If  the  ram  is  fat  give  the  following  : 

Epsom  Salts J  pound. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum ^  ounce,  or  2  tablespoonfuls. 

Mix  in  half  a  pint  of  lukt  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
In  cases  where  the  bag  festers  and  forms  matter,  which  you  can 
tell  by  the  fee!  of  it,  you  can  tell  when  it  is  ready  to  open  by  feel- 
ing for  a  soft  spot  in  the  bag,  and  as  soon  as  you  find  the  soft 
spot  lance  it  to  let  the  matter  out,  and  continue  poulticing  until  all 
the  matter  is  drawn  out  and  the  ram  seems  better.  After  the 
inflammation  is  pretty  well  out  poultice  only  about  half  the  time. 

;H0W  to  CASTRATE  RAMS. 

Throw  the  ram  down  and  have  him  held  firmly,  take  a  sharp 
knife  and  make  a  cut  lengthwise  near  the  bottom  of  the  bag  so  it 
will  not  form  a  pocket  afterwards,  cut  the  hole  large  enough  for 
the  testicle  to  slip  out,  as  soon  as  the  testicle  is  out  you  will 
notice  where  the  covering  is  attached  at  the  back  part  of  the 
testicle,  separate  the  covering  from  the  testicle  with  your  knife, 
pull  the  testicle  up  three  or  four  inches  and  tie  a  strong  string 
around  the  cord,  tie  it  tight  enough  to  stop  the  blood, 
leaving  the  ends  of  the  string  four  or  five  inches  long  so  they  will 
hang  out  of  the  cut  and  not  heal  up  in  the  bag,  in  a  few 
days  they  will  rot  off  the  end  of  the  cord  and  drop  out  themselves; 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  331 

as  soon  as  this  is  done  cut  the  cord  off  half  an  inch  below  liie 
string-,  then  operate  on  the  other  testicle  in  a  similar  manner.  As 
soon  as  both  testicles  are  cut  off  fill  the  holes  up  with  salty  butter 
and  let  the  sheep  up.  If  he  swells  afterwards  bathe  the  bag  and 
cuts  with  luke  warm  water  and  open  the  cuts  by  putting  salty 
butter  on  your  fingers  and  run  them  up  into  the  cuts.  The  main 
thing  after  castration  is  not  to  let  the  sheep  get  wet.  In  castrat- 
ing young  ram  lambs,  perform  the  operation  in  the  same  manner 
as  in  rams  only  it  is  not  necessary  to  tie  the  cord,  but  cut  it  ofT 
with  a  sharp  scissors  and  this  will  stop  it  from  bleeding  and  be 
better  than  tieing.  As  soon  as  the  cords  are  both  cut  off  fill  the 
hole  up  with  butter  and  let  the  lamb  go,  and  if  it  swells  afterwards 
give  it  the  same  treatment  that  is  given  for  swelling  in  rams  after 

castration. 

CUTTING  LAMBS'  TAILS. 

This  operation  is  generally  performed  on  ewe  lambs  and  on 
ram  lambs  that  are  being  kept  for  breeding  purposes;  the  opera- 
tion is  best  done  in  the  latter  end  of  May  when  the  lambs  are  from 
two  to  six  weeks  old.  The  best  way  to  do  this  is,  catch  the 
lambs  and  have  someone  to  hold  them  while  you  take  hold  of  the 
tail  to  find  the  second  or  third  joint;  after  deciding  a1  which  joint 
you  wish  to  cut,  place  the  kniffe  at  that  joint  and  cut  it  right 
off  with  one  stroke,  which  is  very  easily  done.  They 
usually  do  not  bleed  much,  but  if  they  do  put  some  of  Monsell's 
solution  of  iron  on,  with  a  feather,  and  if  you  have  not  this,  burn 
with  a  red  hot  iron  by  touching  it  to  the  end  of  the  tail. 

LAIVIBING. 

Sheep  are  usually  put  in  with  the  ram  in  the  month  of 
November,  and  a  good  way  to  tell  when  a  ram  has  served  a  ewe 
is  to  shake  dry  red  paint  on  the  ram's  breast  and  when  he  has 
served  a  ewe  the  paint  will  be  on  her  back.  The  length  of  time 
the  ewe  carries  the  lamb  from  the  time  the  ram  served  her  till  she 
is  delivered  is  five  months. 

SIGNS  OF  LAMBING. 
In  the  young-  ewe  about  the  third  month  she  commences  to 
to  make  a  bag;  in  the  old  ewe  it  is  about  the  fourth  month  when 
she  begins  to  make  a  bag;  after  this  time  the  bag  keeps  getting- 
larger  until  a  day  or  so  before  she  lambs;  her  bag  and  teats  get  hard 
and  full  for  a  few  hours  before  lambing;  she  is  very  cross  to  dogs  and 


332  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

other  animals;  her  eyes  have  a  wild  look  and  she  tries  to  get 
away  by  herself;  finally  the  labor  pains  come  on  and  she  seems  in 
great  pain,  the  water  bag  soon  appears  and  breaks,  then  if  the 
Iamb  is  coming  all  right  the  front  legs  and  head  will  come  out  and 
she  will  soon  be  delivered  of  her  lamb. 

TROUBLES  MET  WITH  IN  LAMBING. 
Sometimes  the  lamb  will  be  coming  with  the  front  legs  out 
and  the  head  turned  back.  In  a  case  of  this  kind,  raise  the  ewe's 
hind  end  up  high,  then  oil  your  hands  and  shove  the  front  legs 
back,  and  pass  your  hand  inside  and  turn  the  head  straight,  then 
draw  on  the  head  and  legs  and  it  will  come  all  right.  Sometimes 
a  lamb  will  be  coming  with  only  its  head  and  neck  out,  the  front 
legs  being  turned  back  inside,  in  this  case  raise  the  ewe's  hind 
end  up  high,  oil  your  hands  and  shove  the  head  and  neck  back  in- 
to the  womb  and  straighten  the  legs,  then  draw  gently  on  them 
and  the  head  and  it  will  come  all  right.  Sometimes  one  front  leg 
and  the  head  will  be  out;  the  lamb  cannot  come  in  this 
position;  raise  the  ewe's  hind  end  up  high  and  shove  the  leg  and  head 
back  into  the  womb  and  straighten  the  leg  that  is  bent  back  and 
bring  it  up  with  the  other  leg  and  the  head,  then  it  will  come 
all  right.  Sometimes  in  a  case  where  there  are  twin  lambs,  a  leg 
of  each  will  be  out,  in  this  case  watch  when  you  shove  them  back 
and  be  sure  you  get  hold  of  thfe  two  legs  that  belong  to  the  one 
lamb,  because  sometimes  a  mistake  is  made  and  they  draw  on  a 
leg  of  each  lamb  and  injure  both  the  lambs  and  ewe.  Sometimes 
the  ewe  will  try  to  lamb  but  nothing  will  come — the  only  thing 
you  can  feel  in  the  passage  is  the  tail  and  rump  of  the  lamb;  the 
trouble  in  this  case  is,  that  the  lamb  is  coming  backwards  with  the 
hind  legs  turned  forward  under  it.  In  this  case  raise  the  ewe's 
hind  end  up  high,  oil  your  hand  and  shove  the  lamb  upwards  and 
forwards  in  the  womb,  then  slip  your  hand  down  along  the 
hind  leg  of  the  lamb  until  you  can  hook  your  finger  around  it, 
then  draw  it  upwards  and  then  backwards  until  it  sticks  straight 
out  in  the  passage,  as  soon  as  you  have  this  leg  up  do  the  same 
to  the  other,  and  when  you  have  both  of  them  up,  draw  the  lamb 
out  backwards.  When  you  find  a  lamb  coming  backwards 
never  attempt  to  turn  it,  for  this  is  impossible  in  the  ewe,  but  take 
it  away  backwards.  As  soon  as  a  ewe  has  lambed  get  her  on  her 
feet  to  allow  the  lamb-bed  or  womb  to  go  back  to  its  place,  also 
try  to  get  her  to  lick  the  lambs.     Sometimes  in  a  young  ewe  where 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  338 

the  passage  is  so  small  you  cannot  get  your  hand  in,  you  will  need 
a  boy  with  a  small  hand  to  turn  the  lamb,  while  you  instruct  him. 
Sometimes  the  ewe  will  try  to  lamb  and  the  neck  of  the  womb  will 
remain  closed,  not  allowing-  the  lamb  to  come  out  ;  in  this  case 
medicine  will  have  to  be  used.      Give  the  following: 

Epsom  Salts J  pound. 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 
then  follow  up  with  the  following  : 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 15  drops. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water.  Give  this  drench 
every  two  hours  until  it  acts  on  the  neck  of  the  womb  and  opens 
it  so  she  can  lamb  without  difficulty. 

THE  CLEANING  NOT  COMING  AWAY  AFTER  LAMBING. 
In  a  case  of  this  kind    give    the    ewe    a    hot    drink,  and  then 
leave  her  alone,  allowing  her  to  lie  down,  and  if  it  does  not  come 
away  then,  give  : 

Epsom  Salts ^  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre i  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 15  drops. 

Mix  in  half  a  pint  of  luke  warm   water  and  give  as  a  drench, 

and  as  soon  as  the  medicine  operates  it  will  loosen  the  cleaning 

and  it  will  come  away  all  right. 

LAMB   BED  TURNED  OUT. 

Causes. — From  a  ewe,  after  lambing,  lying  with  her  hind  parts 
too  low,  and  the  womb  gets  shoved  up  in  the  pelvic  or  hip  cavity, 
which  causes  her  pain,  and  on  account  of  this  she  commences 
straining  and  does  not  stop  until  she  turns  the  lamb  bed  inside  out. 

Symptoms. — The  ewe  seems  very  weak  and  will  generally 
be  lying  down  with  the  bed  out  behind.  The  bed  is  about  as 
large  as  a  man's  head  and  is  covered  all  over  with  little  processes 
like  buttons;  it  is  to  these  little  buttons  the  cleaning  is  attached. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  noticed,  if  there  is  any  cleaning 
attached  to  the  button-like  processes,  take  it  off,  then  bathe  the 
bed  well  with  luke  warm  water  and  place  a  sheet  or  clean  bag 
under  the  bed  to  keep  it  up  and  also  keep  it  clean.  Have  a  man 
on  each  side  to  hold  the  hind  end  of  the  sheep  up,  and,  having 
your  hands  well  oiled,  start  to  turn  it  in,  commencing  at  the  vulva 
and  keep  turning  it  in  until  it  is  all  in  the  passage,  then  shove  the 
womb  back  to  its  natural  place  with  your  hand  before  you  leave 
it.      With  a  needle  and  twine  used  for  sewing  wounds,  put  two  or 


334  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

three  good  stitches  in,  leaving  only  enough  space  for  her  to  make 

her  water  through,   and  in  a  day  or  two,  when  she  is  all  over  the 

straining,    take    the    stitches    out.       After    the    womb    has    been 

returned    she    will    likely    strain     some;  to  relieve    this,  give    the 

following : 

Epsom  Salts i  pound. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum ^  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 3  drops. 

Mix   thoroughly   and   give   as    a   drench.      After  this,   give  a 

warm  bran  mash,  and  give  the  following  drench  every  hour  until 

she  is  through  straining: 

Tincture  of  Laudanum ...  .^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre   |         "         1  " 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 2  drops. 

Mix  in  half  a  pint  of  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  MILK  BAG  (GARGET). 

Causes. — This  is  generally  noticed  after  lambing  by  getting 
cold,  or  from  an  overflow  of  milk  ;  from  an  injury;  or  sometimes, 
when  a  ewe  loses  a  lamb,  from  not  being  milked  enough  will 
cause  it. 

Symptoms. — The  bag  becomes  largely  swollen  with  milk — 
is  hard,  hot,  tender  and  inflamed.  The  ewe  seems  feverish  and  is 
in  pain;  if  you  try  to  milk  her  at  this  stage,  only  a  watery, 
■curdy  milk  comes  out.  If  it  is  not  checked  now,  the  inflamed 
part  of  the  bag  will  commence  to  fester  and  form  matter,  and  will 
either  break  or  have  to  be  lanced.  Sometimes,  instead  of  the 
bag  festering,  it  becomes  mortified,  and  if  not  checked,  the 
mortification  will  go  up  into  the  belly  and  kill  the  ewe. 

Treatment. — It  is  always  best,  if  a  ewe  loses  a  lamb,  or  when 
the  lambs  are  being  weaned,  to  watch  the  bag  and  milk  her 
out  once  in  a  while  until  she  goes  dry.  When  the  bag  is  swollen 
and  inflamed,  milk  her  out  once  or  twice  and  bathe  her  bag  three 
times  a  day  with  warm  water  and  vinegar,  and  in  a  day  or  so  she 
will  come  all  right.  When  it  has  been  neglected  until  it  festers, 
watch  the  bag  and  keep  bathing  it  with  warm  water  and  vinegar. 
As  soon  as  a  soft  spot  comes  in  the  bag,  lance  it  to  let  the  matter 
out,  then  continue  bathing  and  applying  the  white  lotion  twice  a 
day  until  all  the  swelling  is  gone  and  the  bag  is  healed  up. 
In  cases  where  the  bag  becomes  mortified,  give  it  lots  of  bathing 
with  warm  water  and  vinegar,  and  keep  applying  white  lotior 
three  times  a  day,  each  time  after  bathing,  until  the  mortification  is 
checked,    and    then    the    mortified    part   will    separate    from    the 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  SHEEP.  335 

healthy  part  in  the  course  of  time,  and  drop  off,  then  bathe  well 
with  warm  water  and  soap  twice  a  day  and  apply  white  lotion 
each  time  after  bathing.  As  soon  as  it  is  healed  up  it  is  best  to 
fatten  the  ewe  and  butcher  her.  During  treatment,  feed  well  and 
take  extra  care  of  her  to  keep  her  strength  up  until  she  gets 
better. 


DISEASES  OF  YOUNG  LAMBS. 

WEAKNESS. 

Causes. — Sometimes,  where  the  ewes  have  been  poorly  fed, 
not  getting  any  grain,  and  has  a  couple  of  lambs,  the  Iambs  will 
naturally  be  weak  and  unable  to  stand,  and  seems  very  dumpish  ; 
or  this  weakness  may  be  caused  from  a  lamb  coming  on  a  cold 
night  and  getting  a  chill;  or  where  a  ewe  has  bother  lambing  and 
the  lamb  has  to  be  pulled  away. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  cold  night,  take  the  Iamb  where  it  is 
nice  and  warm,  and  give  it  a  good  rubbing  until  it  is  perfectly 
dry,  and  pour  down  with  a  spoon  the  following  : 

Whisky 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  in  a  tablespoonful  of  its  mother's  milk.  Give  this 
amount  every  hour  or  two  until  it  is  strong  enough  to  suck. 

CONSTIPATION. 

This  is  where  the  young  lamb's  bowels  get  stopped. 

Causes. — Sometimes  from  a  Iamb  getting  cow's  milk  in  its 
full  strength.  Cow's  milk  should  be  weakened  down  about  one- 
third  by  adding  water  and  sugar  before  giving  it.  It  is  noticed  in 
Iambs  sometimes,  when  no  causes  can  be  given. 

Symptoms. — The  lamb  seems  to  be  a  little  fuller  at  the  sides 
than  natural,  is  dull  in  appearance  and  keeps  straining  occasional- 
ly as  if  trying  to  pass  something  from  the  bowels — but  nothing 
comes.      Soon  it  gets  in  pain  and  refuses  to  suck. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  : 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  tablespoonful. 

Whisky 1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  this  in  a  tablespoonful  of  the  ewe's  milk  and  pour  it  down 
with  a  spoon  once  a  day  until  the  bowels  seem  all  right.  Give  an 
injection  of  half  a  teacup  of  luke  warm  water  and  a  little  soap  into 
the  back  bowel  with  a  small  syringe  three  times  a  day  until  the 
bowels  move,  also  keep  the  lamb  good  and  warm. 


336  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

DIARRHGEA. 

Causes. — Sometimes  from  a  chill,  or  from  the  milk  not  agree- 
ing with  it. 

Symptoms. — The  lamb  will  often  pass  a  watery  manure  from 
the  anus,  and  the  tail  and  hind  legs  soon  gets  wet  and  sticky. 
The  lamb  will  not  suck  and  seems  quite  dull,  and  soon  becomes 
very  weak  if  the  diarrhoea  is  not  checked. 

Treatment. — Give  a  teaspoonful  of  whisky  and  one  of  castor 
oil  in  a  tablespoonful  of  its  mother's  milk,  mix  and  shake  well  and 
pour  it  down  with  a  small  spoon.  If  not  relieved  in  four  hours, 
give  five  drops  of  tincture  of  laudanum  and  a  teaspoonful  of 
whisky  mixed  in  a  tablespoonful  of  the  ewe's  milk.  Give  this  with 
a  spoon,  being  careful  not  to  choke  the  lamb  ;  repeat  this  dose 
every  four  hours  until  the  diarrhoea  is  checked,  also  be  sure  and 
keep  the  lamb  in  a  warm,  comfortable  place  until  it  is  all  right. 
As  well  as  attending  to  the  lamb  in  those  cases,  see  that  the 
mother's  bag  is  kept  milked  out  so  it  will  not  become  inflamed. 

FOOT  ROT  IN  SHEEP. 

In  some  parts  of  the  country  this  is  a  very  common  disease 
and  resembles  foul  in  the  foot  in  cattle 

Causes. — ^This  disease  is  sometimes  brought  on  from  the  feet 
growing  too  long  and  splitting  up  and  setting  up  inflammation  in 
the  feet.  Sometimes  when  they  are  pasturing  on  a  low,  damp 
pasture  from  continually  getting  the  feet  wet,  it  irritates  the 
foot  and  sets  up  the  disease.  It  may  be  caused  from  the  sheep 
walking  through  mud  or  dirty  places,  and  the  mud  or  dirt  getting 
up  between  the  trotters  and  getting  hard,  which  irritates  the  foot 
and  sets  up  the  disease.  In  some  localities  this  disease  is  of  an  in- 
fectious nature,  that  is  to  say,  where  the  matter  from  the  feet  of  an 
aff"ected  sheep  gets  on  another  sheep's  feet  it  will  set  up  the  disease. 

Symptoms. — The  sheep  are  lame  and  stiff  when  walking,  and 
if  the  disease  runs  on  the  feet  will  swell  and  little  boils  will  form 
around  the  top  of  the  hoof,  which  break  and  run  matter,  and  the 
sheep  will  become  exceedingly  lame.  If  the  disease  is  allowed  to 
run  on  for  a  time,  the  hoofs  become  loose  and  fall  off",  and  the 
sheep  will  then  die  from  exhaustion.  When  one  sheep  becomes 
affected,  the  same  cause  will  usually  affect  more;  so  you  see  it  is 
advisable  to  try  and  find  out  the  cause  and  remove  it,  for  the 
same  cause  that  brings  it  on  in  one  sheep  is  likely  to  bring  it  on. 
in  all  of  them. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  337 

Treatment. —  Separatethe  affected  sheep  from  the  sound  ones 
and  put  the  affected  ones  in  a  quiet,  dry  place,  and  if  it  is  caused 
from  the  sheep  being-  in  a  wet  place,  remove  the  sound  ones  to  a 
dry  field.  Catch  the  affected  sheep,  lay  them  on  their  side,  and 
bathe  the  feet  well  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap,  cleaning  all  the 
dirt  from  between  the  trotters.  As  soon  as  you  have  bathed  the 
feet,  poultice  them  with  a  hot  poultice  of  half  linseed  meal  and 
bran ;  leave  the  poultice  on  all  night,  and  poultice  every  night 
until  the  sheep  is  better.  Each  time  before  putting  on  the 
poultice,  and  after  taking  it  off,  dress  the  foot  with  white  lotion 
with  a  few  drops  of  carbolic  acid  in  it.  If  this  does  not  effect  a 
cure,  then  try  the  following  mixture: 

Sweet  Oil ■.    4  ounces. 

Carbolic   Acid 20  drops. 

Apply   this   the   same   as   the    lotion    before    putting    on    the 

poultice   and   after   taking  it  off. 


CHAPTER   II. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT ,  OF  PIGS. 


Pigs  are  not  subject  to  as  many  diseases  as  cattle  or  sheep. 
CHOKING. 

This  is  not  a  very  common  thing  in  pigs,  but  is  sometimes 
met  with  when  they  try  to  swallow  some  hard  substance  which  is 
too  large  for  the  throat. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  keeps  coughing,  and  saliva  runs  from  the 
mouth  ;  when  it  tries  to  eat  or  drink,  the  food  or  water  will  run 
back  out  ot  its  mouth,  and  if  it  does  not  g-et  relief  will 
soon  die. 

Treatment. — Pour  down  a  little  raw  linseed  oil,  and  then  if 
you  can  feel  the  obstruction  in  the  tube  along  the  neck,  try  and 
work  It  around   with   your   hand   to  get   it   to  slip  down.      If  the 


338  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

obstruclion  is  caug-ht  in  the  back  part  of  the  mouth,  remove  it  by- 
prying'  the  mouth  open  with  a  stick  and  working  it  out  with 
another  stick  or  a  long  pincers.  If  the  obstruction  is  so  solid  that 
you  cannot  get  it  out  or  rub  it  down  after  giving  the  oil,  take  a 
probang',  cvhich  is  used  for  cattle  when  choking,  and  pass  it  back 
through  the  throat  into  the  oesophagus,  and  push  the  obstruction 
down  into  the  stomach.  Before  attempting  to  pass  the  probang, 
tie  a  rope  around  the  upper  part  of  the  mouth  and  have  the  head 
held  up,  then  place  the  gag  across  the  mouth  (the  same  as  is 
done  when  cattle  are  choking)   and   run  the  oiled  probang  down. 

SORE  THROAT. 

This  is  more  often  met  with  in  young  pigs  from  three  to  six 
months  old,  but  may  occur  at  any  age. 

Causes. — Generally  from  getting  cold;  by  changing  from  a 
warm  to  a  cold  pen;  or  from  getting  wet  in  cold  weather. 

Symptoms. — The  pigs  will  sneeze  and  cough;  in  drinking, 
the  water  will  run  out  through  the  nose ;  the  throat  will  be 
swollen  and  sore  to  press  on.  When  one  pig  becomes  affected 
others  generally  get  it  from  the  same  cause. 

Treatment. —  Make  the  pigs  as  comfortable  as  possible,  by 
having  the  pen  dry  and  lots  of  bedding  in  it.  Feed  on  soft,  warm 
food,  with  a  large  tablespoonful  of  sulphur  in  it,  which  will  be 
enough  for  six  small  pigs.  Give  the  sulphur  twice  a  day.  When 
the  pigs  get  so  bad  that  they  do  not  even  attempt  to  eat,  take 
a  quarter  of  a  pound  each  of  sulphur  and  nitrate  of  potash  or 
saltpetre,  mix  together  and  throw  half  a  teaspoonful  back  on  the 
tongue  three  times  a  day;  this  will  gargle  the  throat.  Rub  white 
liniment  around  their  throats  each  time  you  give  the  medicine, 
and  if  it  is  a  valuable  pig,  and  a  bad  case,  poultice  the  throat 
with  hot  poultices  of  half  linseed  meal  and  half  bran.  Change 
the  poultice  every  couple  of  hours  until  the  pig  is  better. 

ACUTE  INDIGESTION. 

This  is  where  the  stomach  is  distended  with  food  and  gas. 
It  is  mostly  seen  in  pigs  six  to  twelve  months  old. 

Causes. — Generally  from  a  pig  that  is  poorly  fed  getting  into 
a  field  of  peas  or  grain  and  getting"  a  big  feed,  or  sometimes  when 
the  pigs  are  not  used  to  grain  and  on  being  brought  in  to  fatten 
they  are  given  a  large  feed  of  peas  or  wheat  which  will  sometimes 
set  up  this  disease. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  339 

Symptoms. — The  pig  refuses  to  eat,  seems  bloated,  very  un- 
easy, and  in  pain.  If  the  sickness  is  after  any  of  the  above 
causes,  you  may  then  be  sure  it  is  acute  indigestion. 

Treatment. — The     dose     for     a     pig    from    six    months    to    a 

\ear  old  is  as  follows  : 

Epsom  Salts .3  tablespoonfula. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  tablespoonful. 

Mix  in  a  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  pour  down  the  pig 
after  it  has  been  caught  and  turned  on  its  back.  Give  only  luke 
warm  water  to  drink  and  no  feed  until  the  medicine  operates.  If 
it  is  not  better  the  next  day  repeat  the  dose.  In  giving  the 
drench  do  not  pour  it  down  too  fast  for  fear  of  choking  the  pig. 
If  the  cause  is  from  getting  a  large  feed  of  wheat  or  peas  it  some- 
times swells  so  much  that  it  ruptures  the  stomach,  in  this  case 
nothing  can  be  done.  As  soon  as  the  rupture  takes  place  the  pig 
soon  dies;  if  you  want  to  be  sure  of  it  being  a  rupture,  open 
the  pig  and  you  will  find  a  hole  in  the  stomach. 

STUNTED  OR  CHRONIC  INDIGESTION. 

This  is  a  common  thing  in  young  pigs  where  they  are  being 
weaned  and  started  to  feed  and  before  they  get  used  to  it  they  are 
fed  on  strong  food  such  as  peas,  wheat  and  corn  ;  this  is  too  much 
for  the  young  pig's  stomach  and  sets  up  indigestion.  It  is  also 
caused  from  worms. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  seems  to  eat  plenty  but  does  not  grow 
or  thrive. 

Treatment. — To   prevent    this   disease  from   coming  on   pigs, 

when  they  are  being  weaned  they  should  never  be  fed  on  hard,  hot 

feed,  but  should  get  milk  and  swill  until  about  three  months  old, 

then  bring  them   gradually   to   hard   feed   by  giving   a  little   at  a 

time.      In  young   pigs,    they   are  so   much   troubled   with   worms 

that  they  should  get  a  handful   of  hardwood  ashes  and  charcoal 

put  in  the  feed  twice  a  week,  one  handful  being  enough  for  six 

young  pigs,  also  give  them  plenty  of  salt,  for  pigs  getting  ashes, 

charcoal  and  salt  in  this   way  seem  to  thrive  half  as  well  again. 

When  thte  pigs  are  stunted  change  the  feed  from  hard  to  soft  feed, 

and  for  six  pigs  give  ot  : 

Sulphur ^  pound. 

Common  Soda .  i       " 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J       " 


3i0  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Mix  thorouy^hly  and  i^ive  a  tablespoonful  in  their  feed  night  and 
morning  until  they  begin  to  thrive,  also  give  them  plenty  of  hard- 
wood ashes,  charcoal  and  salt  in  their  feed,  as  is  explained  above. 

CONSTIPATION. 

This  is  liable  to  affect  pigs  at  any  age,  but  is  more  often 
noticed  to  affect  stunted  pigs. 

Causes. — In  young  pigs  it  is  generally  caused  from  chronic 
indigestion,  or  worms  in  the  stomach,  while  in  older  pigs  it  is 
caused  from  feeding  on  dry  food  without  getting  exercise,  that  is, 
being  kept  in  a  small  pen. 

Symptoms. — The  pigs  are  very  dull ;  refuse  their  food ;  lie 
down  most  of  the  time,  and  seem  fuller  than  natural;  they  will 
strain  to  pass  something  but  nothing  comes.  In  young  pigs, 
they  will  not  thrive  well;  the  rectum,  or  back  bowel,  will  be 
bulged  out,  and  in  some  cases  will  be  turned  out  entirely;  they 
seem  full  and  do  not  eat  as  they  should,  and  if  not  attended  to 
will  become  stunted  and  pine  away  until  they  die. 

Treatment. — In  young  pigs,    catch    them   and   pour   down    a 

tablespoonful   ot    Epsom    salts    and    a    half   teaspoonful    each    of 

ginger  and  common    soda   dissolved  in  half  a   teacupful  of  luke 

warm  water;  give  this  every  day   until   the   bowels  get  nice  and 

loose;    after   the   physic,    continue   the    treatment   by   giving   the 

hardwood  ashes,  charcoal,   sulphur  and  salt,   as  recommended  in 

chronic  indigestion.      In  older  pigs,  give: 

Epsom   Salts 2  tablespoon! uls. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonful. 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  and  pour  down 
as  a  drench,  after  catching  the  pig  and  turning  it  on  its  back; 
also  give  the  hardwood  ashes,  charcoal,  sulphur  and  salt  as 
mentioned  in  chronic  indigestion.  In  aged  pigs  (that  is  where 
they  are  two  or  three  years  old)  use  the  same  treatment  as  is 
given  for  medium  sized  pigs,  only  give  a  larger  dose.  They  can 
stand  about  a  quarter  of  a  pound  of  Epsom  salts  with  a  tea- 
spoonful of  common  soda  and  ginger  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  luke 
warm  water;  repeat  this  dose  every  second  day  until  it  works  the 
bowels.  As  well  as  giving  the  medicine,  give  them  exercise  every 
day  which  will  help  the  physic  to  operate. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  341 

DIARRH(EA. 

This  is  the  very  opposite  of  constipation. 

Causes. — ^It  is  generally  caused  trom  a  sudden  change  in  tha 
food;  from  eating  something  that  is  frozen;  or  from  excitement 
by  being  chased. 

Symptoms.- -The  manure  runs  away  like  water;  the  pig  is 
dull  and  refuses  to  eat  its  food,  but  is  very  thirsty  and  greedy  to 
drink. 

Treatment.^Change  the  food,  and  give  a  gruel  drink  of 

Dry  Flour 1  teacupful. 

Conitnon  Soda 1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1         " 

Mix  in  a  half  pail  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drink 
three  times  a  day.  The  above  is  the  proportion  to  give  six 
small  pigs.  In  a  case  where  it  is  in  young  pigs  sucking  a  sow, 
-give  the  sow 

Dry  Flour 4  teacupful. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1         " 

Mix  in  a  half  pail  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  three  times  a 
day.  As  well  as  the  above  treatment,  keep  the  pigs  warm,  dry 
and  clean,  and  they  will  soon  get  all  right. 

WORMS. 

This  is  mostly  seen  in  young  pigs. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  eats  plenty  but  does  not  seem  to  thrive 
well,  and  sometimes  you  will  see  small  worms  pass  away  in  the 
manure. 

Treatment. — Give  a  handful  of  charcoal  and  hardwood  a«hes 
in  the  food  twice  a  week;  also  give  half  a  teaspoonful  of  sulphur 
for  each  pig  twice  a  day  in  their  food  and  this  will  generally  kll 
the  worms. 

TURNING  OUT  OF  THE  RECTUM  OR  BACK  BOWEL. 

Causes. — This  is  generally  caused  in  young  pigs  by  getting 
dry  food  to  eat,  and  the  bowels  become  costive,  and  while 
straining  to  pass  manure,  it  turns  the  back  bowel  out;  or  where 
pigs  rise  on  their  hind  legs  with  their  front  feet  upon  the  front  of 
the  pen  every  time  you  go  to  feed  them;  or  from  going  to  jump  a 
low  fence  and  getting  caught,  and  while  lying  with  the  belly 
over  the  fence,  the  back  bowel  becomes  turned  out. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  bulging  out  of  the  back  bowel  from 
half  the  size  of   a  hen's   egg  to   even    larger  than   a   hen's   egg, 


342  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

which    will    be    red   and    angry   looking,  and  after  a  time  become 
blackened. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  noticed  give  the  back  bowel  a 
syringing  out  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap  so  as  to  clean  any 
hard  manure  out  of  it,  then  wash  it  off  clean  and  oil  the  bulged 
out  part  of  the  bowel  and  shove  it  back  to  its  natural  place.  As 
soon  as  this  is  done,  if  it  is  a  small  pig,  give  a  tablespoonful  or 
epsom  salts  mixed  in  half  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  and 
pour  down  as  a  drench,  and  give  one-half  teaspoonful  of  sulphur 
mixed  in  sloppy  feed  twice  a  day,  this  will  keep  the  bowels  free 
and  the  pig  will  generally  be  all  right.  Have  the  pig  fastened  in 
its  pen  so  it  cannot  jump  up  on  its,  hind  legs  ;  in  a  case  where  the 
bowel  is  blackened  or  comes  out  two  or  three  times  after  putting 
it  in,  do  not  return  it  but  leave  it  alone  and  the  piece  of  dead 
bowel  will  drop  off  of  its  own  accord,  and  the  pig  will 
be  all  right  in  a  week  or  so,  but  give  the  physic  and  sulphur  as 
mentioned  to  keep  the  bowels  loose. 

BLIND  STAGGERS, 

This  is  a  disease  that  affects  the  brain  and  nerves. 

Causes. —  From  pigs  being  kept  in  a  dirty,  ill-ventilated,  poor- 
ly drained,  small  pen.  The  blood  gets  in  such  a  bad  state  that  it 
becomes  stagnant.  This  disease  is  mostly  seen  in  pigs  under  a 
year  old. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  will  be  dull,  stands  in  a  corner  with  its 
ears  lopped  over,  will  not  eat,  and  when  it  goes  to  walk  will  run 
against  anything  in  its  way.  In  a  short  time,  the  ears,  nose,  and 
around  the  head  turns  to  a  blue  color  which  is  caused  by  the 
stagnant  blood.  The  bowels  are  costive,  and  the  pig  becomes 
duller  and  duller,  until  convulsions  come  on — and  it  dies.  When 
one  pig  becomes  affected  in  a  pen  where  there  are  thirty  or  forty 
pigs  kept,  what  caused  it  in  that  one  will  cause  it  in  the  other  pigs, 
and  we  have  seen  cases  where  farmers  would  have  lost  half  a 
dozen  pigs  in  a  few  hours,  so  when  you  find  the  disease  is  affect- 
ing your  pigs,  let  them  out  of  the  pen  where  they  are  kept  into 
open  air,  and  clean  out  the  pen  thoroughly. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  one  pig  becomes  affected  let  them  all 
out  of  the  pen  into  the  open  air  for  a  few  hours,  and  afterward  put 
them  in  a  clean  pen.  In  treating  the  affected  one,  drag  it  out  into 
ihe  open  air  and  rub  it  well  with  cloths  to  get  the  circulation 
started,  and  give  the  following  : 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  343 

For  a  pig  3  months'  old,   give  1   tablespoonful  of  Epsom  Salts. 
"      3  to    6       "  "2 

"      6  to  12      "  "     3  10  4 

As  well  as  this  put  from  a  teaspoonful  to  a  tablespoonful  or 
two  (according  to  the  age  of  the  pig)  of  good  brandy,  also  a 
teaspoooful  of  ginger  and  common  soda  in  the  drench.  Dissolve 
in  half  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water,  and  pour  down  the  pig 
as  a  drench  after  turning  it  on  its  back.  As  soon  as  the  drench 
operates  it  will  relieve  the  pig.  In  some  cases  persons  have  been 
known  to  cut  off  the  ears  and  tail  with  a  view  to  getting  the 
circulation  of  the  blood  started,  but  the  hand  rubbing  is  better 
and  is  not  so  cruel  and  does  not  disfigure  the  pig. 
FOUNDER  OR  SORE  FEET. 

Causes. — This  is  a  very  common  thing  in  pigs,  especially 
when  fattening  them  and  feeding  them  on  hard,  dry  feed,  when 
they  are  in  a  small  pen  with  very  little  straw  on  the  floor.  Driving 
them  on  a  hard  road  or  from  getting  a  feed  of  wheat  when  not 
used  to  it  will  cause  it. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  will  be  dull  and  lie  most  of  the  time 
and  when  it  moves  around  it  is  so  sore  on  its  front  feet  that  it 
walks  with  its  hind  feet  well  under  it  with  the  front  feet  stuck 
out  ahead  of  it,  in  some  cases  the  feet  are  so  sore  that  the  pig 
squeals  when  it  is  forced  to  put  its  weight  on  the  front  feet. 
From  the  severe  pain  of  the  feet  and  not  being  able  to  get  around 
to  eat  its  food  it  soon  falls  off  in  condition  and  becomes  very 
gaunt. 

Treatment.—  If  it  is  in  the  summer  time,  turn  the  ajffected 
pigs  out  where  they  can  root  in  the  ground,  and  pour  water  in  the 
hole  where  they  lie  every  day  to  keep  the  ground  wet,  as  this 
will  help  cure  the  sore  feet,  as  well  as  this  mix  half  a  pound 
each  of  sulphur  and  nitrate  of  potash  or  saltpetre,  and  g'ive  a  tea- 
spoonful  of  the  mixture  in  a  slop  twice  a  day  to  each  of  the 
affected  pigs.  If  it  is  in  the  winter  time,  keep  the  pig  in  a  warm, 
dry  place.  Give  it  a  physic  of  Epsom  salts  (use  the  propo':'on 
given  in  blind  staggers),  feed  light  and  give  the  mixture  luove 
mentioned,  also    poultice   the   front   feet   every  night  and  the  pig 

will  soon  get  all  right. 

WOUNDS. 

Causes. — From  a  bite  of  a  dog  or  other  pigs  ;  from  going 
through  a  barb  wire  fence  and  getting  caught  on  a  barb,  or  from 
running  against  a  nail  and  tearing  itself. 


344  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Treatment. — Where  it  is  a  very  bad  rip  or  tear,  it  is  best  to 
catch  the  pig"  and  sew  it  up  with  the  same  kind  of  a  needle  and 
thread  as  is  used  to  sew  up  wounds  in  horses.  Put  tht  stitches 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  apart,  then  fill  the  wound  up  with  green 
salve ;  let  the  pig  go  and  it  will  soon  heal  up,  for  pigs'  flesh  heals 
very  quickly;  but  watch  the  wound  that  maggots  do  no  get  in  it, 
if  they  do,  wash  the  wound  out  well  with  luke  warm  water  and 
soap,  then  apply  the  white  liniment  to  kill  the  maggots,  and  fill 
the  wound  up  with  green  salve  and  it  will  soon  heal  up. 

CASTRATING. 

Old  boars  can  be  castrated  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year, 
but  it  is  said  that  the  colder  the  weather  the  better,  as  long  as  the 
weather  is  dry  and  they  are  kept  in  a  dry  place.  Catch  the  boar, 
turn  him  on  his  back  and  tie  him  securely  with  a  rope  so  he  cannot 
get  up  or  hurt  you,  then  take  hold  of  the  testicle  with  the  left 
hand,  and  with  a  sharp  knife  in  the  right  hand  make  a  cut  in  the 
bag  large  enough  to  allow  the  testicle  to  come  out ;  make  the  cut 
in  the  underside  of  the  bag  so  it  will  not  form  a  pocket  afterwards. 
As  soon  as  the  testicle  is  out,  separate  the  covering  from  the 
testicle,  where  it  is  attached  to  the  underside,  by  cutting  it  ofl:". 
Pull  the  testicle  and  cord  out  three  or  four  inches  and  tie  a  strong 
string  tightly  around  the  cord  to.  prevent  it  from  bleeding;  leave 
the  ends  of  the  string  four  or  five  inches  long  so  they  will  hang 
out  of  the  cut.  As  soon  as  the  cord  is  tied,  cut  the  testicle  ofi^ 
half  an  inch  below  where  it  is  tied,  then  operate  on  the  other  testicle 
in  the  same  manner.  If  it  is  a  young  boar  you  are  castrating, 
instead  of  tying  the  cord  with  a  string,  cut  it  off  with  a  sharp 
scissors  and  this  will  stop  the  bleeding.  In  very  young  pigs, 
after  the  testicle  is  out  scrape  the  cord  with  a  knife  until  it  is 
worn  off,  or  cut  it  off  with  a  sharp  scissors.  In  all  cases  after 
you  are  through  castrating  the  pig,  and  before  you  let  him  up, 
fill  the  cuts  where  the  testicle  comes  out  of  with  salty  butter. 
If  the  cuts  swell  much  and  the  pig  seems  stiff  and  sore  in  a  few 
days  after  he  is  castrated,  catch  him  and  open  up  the  cuts  with 
some  butter  on  your  finger  and  allow  the  matter  that  has  formed 
in  the  bag  to  run  out;  this  is  one  thing  that  should  never  be 
neglected  after  castra'.ing  any  animal. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  345 

HUW  TO  CASTRATE  PIGS  THAT  ARE  RUPTURED  IN  THE  BAG. 

Causes  of  Rupture. — Generally  from  a  young  pig  standing  on 
its  hind  feet  with  its  front  feet  up  on  the  front  of  the  pen 
when  you  go  to  feed  them ;  in  other  cases  it  is  noticed  as  soon  as 
it  is  pigged. 

Symptoms  of  Rupture.— The  bag  is  enlarged  by  the  bowels 
coming  out  into  it,  and  when  you  catch  the  pig  and  press  on  the 
enlargement,  you  can  press  the  bowel  back  into  its  place,  but  as 
soon  as  you  let  go  it  will  fly  out  again. 

How  to  Operate.— It  is  best  to  castrate  ruptured  pigs  when 
they  are  young — ajjout  five  or  six  weeks  old.  If  it  is  a  large 
boar,  starve  him  for  twenty-four  hours  before  operating,  so  his 
bowels  will  be  empty,  for  they  will  slip  back  to  their  place  easier 
while  you  are  castrating  him.  Have  help  enough  to  hold  the  hind 
end  of  the  pig  well  up  while  you  press  the  bowels  back,  which  is 
easily  done  when  they  are  empty,  and  his  hind  end  being 
higher  than  his  front  they  will  stay  back  better  while  you  are 
operating  on  him.  Take  the  testicles  out  in  the  same  manner  as 
you  would  a  pig  that  was  not  ruptured,  only  make  the  cuts  as 
small  as  you  can.  After  each  testicle  is  out,  sew  up  the  cut  with 
a  needle  and  thread  (the  same  as  used  for  sewing  up  wounds); 
put  the  stitches  in  about  one-quarter  of  an  inch  apart,  so  the 
bowels  cannot  slip  out.  If  it  is  a  small  pig,  let  him  run  with  the 
others;  but  if  a  large  pig,  keep  him  in  a  quiet  place  and  do  not 
give  him  much  to  eat  for  a  few  days  until  the  cuts  swell,  which 
will  keep  the  rupture  back.  Leave  the  stitches  in  until  they  rot 
out  of  their  own  accord. 

BLACK  TEETH  IN  YOUNG  PIGS. 

These  are  very  small  black  teeth  which  are  found  in  the  sides 
of  the  mouth  when  young  pigs  are  pigged,  and  continue  growing 
for  some  time,  but  after  the  pig  gets  larger  they  drop  out  of  their 
own  accord.  These  teeth  sometimes  grow  in  such  a  manner 
that  they  cut  and  poison  the  tongue  and  make  it  so  sore 
that  they  cannot  eat,  and  in  a  little  while,  if  not  attended  to, 
the  tongue  becomes  so  badly  swollen  that  often  the  pigs 
will  die  from  starvation  and  blood-poisoning.  We  have  seen 
cases  where  three  or  four  pigs  in  one  litter  died  from  black  teeth. 

Treatment. — Catch  the  young  pigs  and  examine  each  one  of 
them,  and  if  they  have  black  teeth,  pull  them  out  with  a  pincers 
and  they  will  soon  be  all  riglit.      It  is  a  good  practice  to  catch  and 


346  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

examine  a  litter  of  young-  pigs,  for  if  the  black  teeth  are  taken  oui 
in  time  it  will  often  prev^ent  some  of  them  from  dying  before 
you   notice  them  sick, 

LICE  ON  PIGS. 

These  lice  are  large  and  resemble  ticks  on  sheep,  only  they 
can  run  very  fast.  We  have  seen  cases  where  the  pigs  were 
literally  covered  with  them.  Pigs  that  have  lice  on  them  do  not 
thrive  well,  and  they  are  a  great  preventive  to  fattening  pigs, 
because  they  irritate  and  cause  them  to  be  continually  rubbing 
and  scratching  themselves. 

Treatment.— Wash  the  pig  well  with  creolin  water,  which 
is  a  sure,  cheap  and  simple  remedy.  The  strdVigth  of  creolin  to 
be  used  is  two  tablespoonfuls  to  a  Dint  of  water.  Rub  the  creolin 
water  in  all  over  the  pig  with  a  stiff  brush.  It  generally  takes 
two  washings  to  make  a  complete  cure;  the  second  application  is 
to  be  put  on  about  a  week  after  the  first  one.  As  well  as  this, 
clean  the  pen  thoroughly,  shake  lime  around  the  floor,  and  put 
fresh,  clean  straw  in  for  them  to  lie  on. 

FRACTURE  OF  A  PIG'S  LEG. 

Causes. — This  may  be  caused  in  various  ways,  such  as  being 
hit  by  a  stone,  being  kicked,  or  from  getting  the  foot  through  a 
hole  in  the  floor  and  giving  the  leg  a  wrench. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  cannot  use  its  leg  in  walking;  it  will 
hang  loose.  If  you  take  hold  of  the  leg  and  twist  it  you  can  hear 
the  ends  of  the  broken  bones  grating  on  each  other. 

Treatment. — If  it  is  a  fat  pig,  and  about  ready  to  kill,  it  is 
best  to  butcher  it.  If  it  is  a  pig  you  want  to  save,  and  the  ends 
of  the  broken  bone  are  not  out  tlirough  the  skin,  try  and  treat  it. 
Take  a  long  bandage,  soak  it  in  starch  (same  as  is  used  for 
starching  clothes),  when  you  are  drawing  the  bandage  out  of  the 
starch,  draw  it  between  your  fingers  and  scrape  it  with  a  knife  to 
get  as  much  of  the  starch  out  as  you  can,  so  it  will  harden 
quicker;  roll  the  bandage  up  so  it  will  be  handy  to  put  on  the  leg, 
then  set  the  broken  bone  to  its  place,  and  put  the  bandage  on  the 
leg  moderately  tight.  After  it  is  on,  hold  the  leg  and  bandage 
straight  until  the  bandage  hardens,  after  that  it  will  hold  the 
bone  to  its  place.  Keep  the  pig  very  quiet,  and  feed  it  so  it 
will  not  have  to  stir  around.  Leave  the  bandage  on  for  three  or 
four  weeks,  until  the  pig  can  use  the  leg  all  right,  then  remove 
the  bandage  by  cutting  it  off.      If  the  break  is  in  the  hip,  or  some 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  347 

place  where  you   cannot  bandag'e  it,   leave  the  pig  in  a  very  quiet 
place,  and  sometimes  the  broken  bone  will  knit  together  itself. 

BROKEN  BACK  IN  PIGS. 

This  is  very  often  seen  in  sows  when  they  are  very  thin  and 
weak  after  suckling  pigs.  It  will  happen  verj^  easily  sometimes  ; 
a  very  little  tap  on  her  nose  will  sometimes  break  a  sow's  back; 
getting  hit  over  the  back,  slipping,  or  from  something  falling  and 
hitting  her  over  the  back  will  sometimes  cause  it.  It  may  occur 
in  other  pigs  in  the  same  manner,  but  they  are  not  so  liable  to  be 
hurt  as  weak  sows  just  after  you  wean  the  little  pigs. 

Symptoms. — All  at  once  she  will  loose  power  of  her  hind 
quarters  and  drag  them  after  her.  If  you  prick  the  hind  parts 
with  a  pin  she  cannot  feel  it,  and  will  lie  there  quite  helpless. 

Treatment. — Put  the  sow  in  a  small,  clean  pen  with  a 
good  bed,  and  feed  her  so  she  will  not  be  hungry  and  try  to  move 
around.  Give  one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  of  sulphur  a  day  in  her 
feed  to  keep  the  bowels  loose.  Keep  her  as  quiet  as  possible 
and  she  will  probably  get  well  in  the  course  of  time. 

HOG  CHOLERA. 

This  is  an  infectious  blood  disease,  and  is  sometimes  called 
anthrax  ;  it  is  noticed  to  break  out  in  herds  of  hogs  all  over  the 
country. 

Symptoms — The  first  symptoms  are  dullness,  drooping  of  the 
head  and  ears,  loss  of  appetite,  and  the  pig  will  go  away  by  itself 
to  lie  down  ;  the  pig  seems  very  feverish,  hot,  and  in  some  cases 
will  lie  quiet  and  die  very  suddenly,  while  in  other  cases,  as  the 
symptoms  advance,  the  pig  has  pains  in  the  bowels,  will  lie  on  its 
side,  moan  with  pain,  then  jump  up,  run  around,  squeal  and  grunt 
in  a  very  painful  manner.  The  pig  at  times  gets  easy  spells  and 
becomes  quiet  ;  if  you  catch  and  examine  it  you  will  find  that  the 
skin  of  the  belly,  thighs,  front  legs,  throat,  and  around  the  nose 
will  be  of  a  purple  color,  and  in  some  cases  on  account  of  the  high 
fever,  the  skin  breaks  out  in  a  rash.  In  the  last  stages  of  the 
disease  there  is  diarrhoea,  and  the  manure  which  is  very  thin,  is  of 
a  black  color  and  has  a  very  bad  smell.  The  pig  rapidly  loses 
strength,  gets  a  cough,  begins  breathing  very  heavy,  and  in  a  few 
hours  is  so  weak  it  can  hardly  stand.  In  some  cases  the  pig  dies 
in  from  six  to  ten  hours  after  being  smitten  with  the  disease, 
while  in  other  cases  it  lives  for  a  few  davs.      The  rash  that  comes 


348  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

out  on  the  skin  soon  causes  it  to  slousifh,  and  the  skin  will  drop  off 

in  places,  giving  the  animal  a  bad  appearance — and  will  soon  die. 

Although  this  is  a  very  fatal  disease  and  most  of  the  pigs  die  that 

are  affec*^ed  with  it,  occasionally  we  have  a  case  get  better  when 

the  treatment  is  taken  in  time. 

Treatment. — As   soon    as   any   of  the   pigs   are    noticed  sick, 

separate  the  sick  ones   from  the  others  that  are  not  sick,  and  put 

them  in  a  dry,  clean  pen,  and  give  the  following  medicine  to  each 

pig,  using  your  own  judgment  as  to  the  proportion  to    give  the 

different  sized  pigs  : 

Epsom  Salts 2  to  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  teaspoonful  to  1  tablespoonful. 

Sulphur 1  "  1 

Mix  in  half  a  teacupful  of  hike  warm  water  and  pour  down  as 

a    drench    after    turning    the    pig    on    its    back.       If   this    drench 

operates  on  the   bowels   before   the   disease   gets   too   bad,  it  will 

often  save  the  life  of  the  pig.      If  this  disease  breaks  out  in  your 

herd    of  pigs,  send  for  the  government  veterinary   inspector  ;   he 

will  come  and  examine  the  pigs  to  make  sure  about  the  disease 

and  help  you  to  prevent  the  disease  from  spreading. 

DIFFICULTIES  MET  WITH  IN  SOWS  PIGGING. 

The  average  time  it  takes  a  sow,  after  being  put  to  the  boar, 
before  she  has  pigs  is  three  months,  three  weeks  and  three  days. 
In  a  month  and  a-half  after  being  out  to  the  boar,  she  begins  to 
get  larger  and  continues  getting  larger  until  pigging  time.  Just 
before  she  pigs  she  is  noticed  to  be  uneasy,  and  starts  to  make  her 
bed :  if  anything  disturbs  her  she  makes  a  fuss  and  seems  excited. 
After  her  bed  is  made  she  seems  sick  and  lies  down  for  a  short 
time,  then  the  labor  pains  come  on — she  will  strain  and  the  water 
bag  will  appear  and  break,  if  the  pigs  are  coming  all  right,  she  will 
soon  be  delivered  of  one  ;  the  front  feet  and  head  should  come  first 
but  sometimes  they  come  with  the  hind  feet  first  ;  in  a  few  minutes 
more  she  will  strain  again  and  another  pig  will  be  delivered,  and 
so  on  until  they  are  all  delivered.  After  this  there  is  usually  no 
trouble  unless  the  sow  has  too  much  bedding  and  she  smothers 
the  little  pigs.  Sometimes,  when  a  sow  is  pigging,  a  pig  will 
come  crociked  and  get  lodged  in  the  passage  and  she  cannot  pig 
without  a*  Tittle  assistance.  The  pig  may  be  coming  head  first 
with  the  front  feet  turned  back,  or  coming  with  its  hind  end  first 
and  its  legs  turned  in  under  it,  and  all  you  can  feel  while   examin- 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  349 

ing"  is  the  tail  and  rump.  If  the  sow  is  large  enough  for  you  to 
pass  your  hand  into  the  passage,  oil  your  hand  and  pass  it  up;  if 
the  front  legs  of  the  little  pig  are  turned  back  shove  it  back  into 
the  womb  ;  catch  the  legs  with  your  finger  and  bring  them  up 
even  with  the  head,  then  pull  on  the  legs  and  it  will  come  all 
right.  If  it  is  coming  backwards,  and  the  hind  legs  are  turned 
under  it  shove  the  pig  back  into  the  womb  and  straighten  out  the 
legs  so  as  to  have  the  hind  feet  coming  first.  In  case  the  sow  is 
too  small  for  a  man's  hand  to  go  into  the  passage,  get  a  boy  that 
has  a  small  hand  and  have  him  oil  it  and  pass  it  up  into  the  pas- 
sage, and  by  you  telling  him  what  to  do  he  can  bring  it  away  all 
right.  In  working  with  sows  always  keep  your  hand  well  oiled, 
and  try  and  not  bruise  the  passage,  for  it  will  swell  an.d  make  it 
worse  for  you  to  work  at. 

MILK  FEVER  IN  SOWS. 

This  disease  is  occasionally  met  with  in  sows,  but  the  causes 
of  it  is  not  clearly  understood.  , 

SymptoniS. — They  are  generally  noticed  as  soon  as  the  sow  is 
through  pigging,  when  the  little  pigs  go  to  suck  they  cannot  get 
any  milk  ;  if  you  try  to  milk  her  no  milk  will  come;  the  teats  are 
soft  instead  of  being  full  and  hard,  showing  that  there  is  no  milk 
being  secreted  in  the  teats,  the  sow  seems  very  sick,  is  feverish 
and  does  not  take  notice  of  her  little  ones,  nor  eat,  but  is  very- 
thirsty  and  will  drink  a  great  deal  if  she  can  get  it  to  drink. 

Treatment. — Give  the  following  for  a  large  sow: 

Epsom  Salts J  pound. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre ^  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Ginger 1  teaspoonf  ul. 

Mix  in  half  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  pour  down  as  a  drench, 

first  turning  the  sow  on  her  back  and  prying  her  mouth  open  with  a 

stick  to  get  the  drench  down.      After  giving  the  drench  follow  up 

with  the  following  powder  : 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur ^      " 

Mix  thoroughly,  and  for  a  large  sow,  give  a  teaspoonful  on 

her  tongue  with  a  spoon  twice  a  day,  or  in  soft  feed.     Give  her  plenty 

of  luke  warm  slops  to  eat,  bathe  her  milk  glands  three  times  a  day 

with  luk'-  warm  water,  rub  the  parts  dry  each  time  after  bathing  and 

keep  the  little  pigs  sucking  to  try  to   bring   her  back    to  her  milk. 

By  attending  to   her   in    this  way  for   a   few   days   she  will  get  all 

right.      While  the  sow  is  sick  keep  the  little  pigs  alive  by  feeding 


350  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

them  milk  from  a  newly  calved  cow  ;  weaken  the  milk  down  one- 
third  with  luke  warm  water  and  sweeten  it  with  sugar,  pour  this 
down  with  a  spoon,  or  let  them  suck  it  out  of  a  bottle,  also  keep 
them  sucking-  the  sow  as  much  as  you  can. 

INFLAMMATION  OF  THE  MILK  GLANDS  IN  A  SOW  (GARGET). 

This  is  gfenerally  noticed  right  after  pigg'ing. 

Causes. — From  catching  cold,  or  from  losing  some  of  the 
pigs  and  not  having  enough  left  to  keep  the  bag  sucked  out,  and 
on  account  of  this  the  glands  get  so  full  of  milk  that  they  swell 
become  sore  and  inflamed. 

Symptoms. — The  sow  seems  dull,  feverish  and  does  not  care 
to  eat,  and  when  the  pigs  go  to  suck  her  it  causes  pain  and  they 
do  not  get  much  milk.  On  examing  her  the  milk  glands  will  be 
found  swollen,  hard,  hot  and  tender. 

Treatment. —  Give  the  same  medicine  inwardly  with  the  same 
directions  as  is  given  for  the  treatment  of  milk  fever  in  sows,  be- 
sides  this  bathe  the  milk  glands  well  three  times  a  day  with  luke 
warm  water  and  vinegar,  each  time  after  bathing  rub  the  glands 
dry,  and  in  severe  cases  where  the  young  pigs  are  not  sucking 
her,  rub  the  glands  with  white  liniment,  and  after  putting  on  the 
the  liniment  oil  the  parts  with  oil  or  lard  to  soften  the  glands  and 
keep  the  liniment  from  blistering.  In  cases  where  the  disease  runs 
on,  and  the  glands  fester  and  form  matter,  they  will  have  to  be 
lanced  to  let  the  matter  out;  then  treat  by  bathing  with  luke 
warm  water  and  soap  twice  a  day,  and  apply  the  white  lotion 
each  time  after  bathing  until  the  glands  heal  up.  In  bad  cases  it 
is  best  to  wean  the  young  pigs. 

PIG  BED  OR  WOMB  TURNED  OUT. 

This  is  generally  noticed  right  after  pigging,  where  the  sow 
is  left  lying  with  her  hind  end  lower  than  her  front,  which  causes 
the  pig  bed  to  work  back  into  the  passage,  and  when  it  does,  it 
causes  her  pain,  and  she  starts  to  force  and  forces  the  pig  bed 
inside  out. 

Symptoms. — The  womb,  or  pig  bed,  is  turned  out  behind, 
which  is  larger  than  a  man's  head,  and  in  a  very  short  time 
becomes  very  red  and  swollen,  and  is  a  miserable  looking  sight; 
it  should  be  put  back  as  soon  as  noticed  before  it  swells  much. 

Treatment — As  soon  as  noticed,  bathe  the  womb  well  with 
luke  warm  water  to  take  the  swelliner  down  and  make  it  clean  and 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  PIGS.  351 

warm ;  then  have  a  couple  of  men  to  raise  the  sow's  hind  end 
straight  up  while  you  start  turningf  the  womb  in  at  the  passag"e, 
and  keep  turnings  it  in  until  it  is  all  in  the  passag'e ;  then  oil  your 
hand  and  arm,  if  the  sow  is  large  enough  for  your  hand  Co  pass 
into  the  passage,  but  if  not,  get  a  boy  with  a  small  hand,  and 
press  the  pig  bed  right  back  into  its  place.  As  soon  as  you  have 
done  this,  sew  up  the  vulva  or  the  opening  of  the  passage  to  the 
womb;  put  two  or  three  stitches  across  it;  put  them  in  good  and 
deep,  just  leaving  space  enough  at  the  bottom  for  her  to  make 
water.  Leave  the  stitches  in  tor  a  day  or  two  until  she  stops 
straining,  then  cut  the  stitches,  pull  them  out  and  she  will  be  all 
right.  After  you  have  put  the  bed  back,  if  she  keeps  straining, 
give  her  the  following: 

Tincture  of  Laudanum i  ounce,  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre j       "  1  *' 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 2  to  3  drops. 

Mix  in  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  and  pour  down  as  a 
drench,  after  turning  her  on  her  back  and  prying  her  mouth  open 
with  a  stick.  If  she  does  not  get  relief  in  two  hours,  repeat  the 
drench,  and  keep  repeating  it  every  two  or  three  hours  until  she 
is  all  over  the  straining. 

HOW  TO  RING  A  PIG. 

The   object   of  ringing   pigs   is   to   keep   them  from  rooting. 

The  best  way  to  ring  them  is  to  first  make  a  noose  on  the  end  of 

a  small  rope,  slip  the  noose  into  the  pig's  mouth,  draw  it  tight  on 

the  upper  jaw,  and  have  the   rope  over  a  beam  or  something  to 

draw  the  pig's  head  up  tight ;  have  a  pincers  and  ring,  which  can 

be  obtained  at  any  hardware  store,  place  the  ring  in  the  pincers, 

and  while  the  pig  is  pulling  back,  close  the  ring  on  its  nose  so  as 

to  catch  about  one-quarter  of  an   inch  of  gristle;    this   is  done  by 

pressing  on  and  closing  the   handles  of  the   pincers.      Be  careful 

not  to  put  the  ring  back  farther  than  one-quarter  of  an   inch,  also 

see  that  there  is  no  rust  on  the  ring  before  putting  it  in.      Put  in 

from  one  to  three  rings,  according  to  the  size  and  age  of  the   pig. 

If  the  nose  should  fester  after  ringing,  it  is  best  to  take  the  ring 

out. 

FITS  IN  YOUNG  PIGS  FROM  WORMS. 

Symptoms. — The  pig  is  first  noticed  not  to  be  thriving  well, 
and  after  a  time  is  noticed  to  take  fits,  its  legs  begin  jerking,  its 
head  and  neck  bends  back  and  it  keeps  champing  its  teeth,  and 
after  working  in  this  manner  for  a  while,  falls  over  as  if  it  were 


352 


THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 


dead,  but  in  a  short  time  g"ets  up   and   seems   all  right  for  a  little 
while,  then  another  fit  comes  on.      The  pig  keeps  on  taking  those 
fits  every  little  while  for  a  few  days,  but  finally  gets  so  bad  it  dies. 
Treatment. — For  a  pig  two  months  old  give 

Raw  Linseed  Oil |  teacupf ul. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful. 

Mix  well  and  pour  down  as  a  drench.  Repeat  this  dose  once 
a  day  until  the  bowels  move  and  the  pig  seems  relieved,  after- 
wards feed  lots  of  charcoal,  hardwood  ashes,  salt  and  sulphur,  the 
same  as  is  given  to  stunted  pigs  to  get  rid  of  the  worms. 


CHAPTER   III. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  DOGS. 


MANGE. 

This  is  a  very  common  skin  disease  among  dogs. 

Causes. — From  parasites,  or  germs,  getting  down  into  the  sk'n, 
and  as  soon  as  they  do  they  commence  to  breed  and  spread  all 
Dver  the  body,  mostly  affecting  the  skin  on  the  back,  head  and 
neck.  This  disease  will  soon  spread  among  dogs  and  to  other 
animals,  even  to  the  human  being. 

Symptoms. — The  dog  becomes  extremely  itchy,  keeps  rubbing 
and  biting  himself  until  the  hair  falls  off,  and  in  some  cases  the 
skin  gets  so  sore  and  irritated  that  it  will  bleed  ;  the  hair  is  dry 
and  scruffy-looking,  and  the  dog  soon  falls  off  in  condition,  To 
make  sure  of  this  disease  examine  the  scales  under  a  microscope 
and  you  can  see  the  parasites  or  germs. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  DOGS.  353 

Treatment. —  If  the  weather  is  warm  clip  the  hair  cflf  the  dog 

good  and  short,  and  give  him  a  thorough  good  washing  with  luke 

warm   water    and    soap,    after    this    rub    him   dry   and   ipply   the 

creolin  wash  by  rubbing  it  well  into  the   skin  all  over  the  body; 

use  two  tablespoonfuls  of  creolin  to  the  pint  of  water  and  apply  it 

once  a  day  until  the  dog  stops  rubbing  himself,  the  skin  heals  and 

the  hair  starts  to  grow  out ;  as  well  as  this,  give  a  teaspoonful  of 

sulphur  in    his   milk   twice  a  day  if  it  is  a  large  dog;  give  the 

sulphur  in  proportion  to  the  size  of  the  dog  ;  if  it  is  in  the  winter 

time  just  clip  the  hair  off  and  apply  the  creolin  wash,  but  do  not 

wash  him  with  water. 

FLEAS. 

Fleas  are  a  very  common  thing  in  dogs,  especially  if  they  are 
kept  tied  up  and  not  properly  taken  care  of. 

Treatment. — Clean  out  the  place  where  the  dog  is  kept  and 
whitewash  it  to  get  it  thoroughly  clean  and  put  in  fresh  bedding, 
then,  if  it  is  in  the  summer  time,  wash  the  dog  with  luke  warm 
water  and  soap,  then  rub  him  dry,  after  which  rub  him  thoroughly 
with  creolin  wash  every  third  or  fourth  day  until  the  fleas  are- 
killed.  One  washing  is  usually  enough  to  kill  the  fleas.  Use 
two  tablespoonfuls  of  creolin  to  the  pint  of  water  to  wash  him  with.. 

CANKER  m  THE  EAR. 

Causes. — This  is  a  common  disease  in  dogs  that  run  through 
long,  wet  grass. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  discharge  of  matter  from  the  ear 
which  has  a  bad  smell;  the  dog  holds  his  head  to  one  side,  and  if 
you  go  to  catch  him  to  examine  the  ear  he  will  be  very  much 
afraid,  showing  that  it  is  very  sore. 

Treatment. — Bathe   the  ear  well   with   luke  warm  water  and' 

castile  soap   once   a  day;  wipe   dry  each   time  after   bathing  and 

inject  a  little  white  lotion  into  the  ear  with  a  syringe  and  he  will. 

soon  get  all  right. 

DEAFNESS. 

This  is  very  common  in  old  dogs. 

Symptoms. — The  dog  seems  stupid,  and  when  you  call  him 
he  does  not  hear  you. 

Treatment. —  If  it  is  an  old  dog,  and  the  cause  is  from  age, 
there  cannot  be  anything  done ;  but  if  it  is  a  young  dog,  and  the 
deafness  is  caused  from  wax  in  the  ear  or  anything  like  that,  wash  the 
ear  out  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap,  after  which  drop  a  few  drops^ 

—23— 


854  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

of  sweet  oil  into  the  ear;    do  this  every  second  day  and  in  a  short 
time  it  will  effect  a  complete  cure. 

SORE  EYES. 

This  is  an  inflammation  of  the  eye  and  its  covering". 

Causes. — From  something-  getting  into  the  eye;  trom  a  bite 
or  scratch,  or  anything  that  will  irritate  the  eye. 

Symptoms. — The  eye  is  very  red,  sore  and  inflamed,  and  after 
a  time  a  little  scum  will  form  over  the  sight.  The  eyelids,  in 
some  cases,  are  swollen  and  tears   keep  running  from  the  corners. 

Treatment. — Catch  the  dog,  examine  the  eye,  and  if  there  is 
anything  in  it,  remove  it  at  once;  after  this,  bathe  the  eye  with 
new  milk  twice  a  day,  and  each  time  after  bathing  apply  the  eye 
wash  mentioned  in  the  back  of  this  book  until  he  gets  all  right. 
While  treating  him  keep  him  in  a  cool,  dark  place. 

ENLARGEMENTS  OR  GROWTHS  IN  THE  EYE. 

In  some  cases  the  eye  itself  will  become  so  enlarged  that  it 
will  bulge  out  of  its  socket,  which  gives  the  dog  a  very  unsightly 
appearance.  In  other  cases  cancerous  growths  affect  the  eye, 
and  the  cancer  grows  until  it  hangs  out  of  the  eye  onto  the  cheek. 

Treatment. — In  either  of  the  above  cases  treat  by  removing 
the  eye.  First,  put  a  muzzle  on  him  or  tie  his  mouth  with  a 
strong,  small  rope  so  he  cannot  bite  you,  then  tie  his  legs  firmly. 
When  you  have  the  dog  securely  tied,  stick  a  hook  into  the 
affected  eye  and  pull  outwards  and  upwards,  then  with  a  sharp 
knife  cut  around  the  eye  and  separate  it  from  the  eyelid  and  draw 
the  eye  up  as  far  as  you  can.  You  will  find  the  eye  attached  at 
the  back  by  the  muscles,  nerve  and  artery  of  the  eye.  Tie  a 
string  tight  around  the  back  part  of  the  eye,  so  it  will 
prevent  bleeding,  then  cut  the  eye  off  in  front  of  the  string, 
leaving  the  string  on.  The  after  treatment  is  to  bathe  the  parts 
with  lukewarm  water  and  castile  soap  once  a  day;  each  time  after 
bathing  apply  the  white  lotion  and  it  will  soon  heal  up.  Keep  the 
dog  in  a  dark,  cool,  quiet  place  during  treatment. 

WOUNDS  OR  CUTS  OF  ANY  KIND. 
If  the  wound  is  torn  much,  tie  the  dog's  mouth  with  a  rope  or 
muzzle  him  so  he  cannot  bite  you,  also  tie  his  legs  to  hold  them  firmly, 
then  stitch  the  wound  up  with  a  needle  and  twine  (the  same  as  is 
used  for  sewing  wounds  on  horses).  There  is  no  necessity  for 
using  medicine  on  it  afterwards,  but  just  leave  the  dog  in  a  dark, 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  DOGS.  355 

quiet  place,  and  allow  him  to  lick  the  wound,  which  is  the  best 
medicine  you  can  use.  If  the  wound  is  where  the  dog  cannot  g-et 
at  it  tp  lick  it,  bathe  it  twice  a  day  with  luke  warm  water  and 
castile  soap,  and  each  time  after  bathing-  wipe  dry  and  apply  the 
white  lotion. 

TUMORS  OR  GROWTHS  ON  THE  SKIN. 

As  soon  as  they  are  noticed  it  is  best  to  cut  them  out  clean. 
First  secure  the  dog-  in  the  same  manner  as  is  given  in  the 
treatment  for  "enlargfements  and  growths  in  the  eye,"  then  take 
a  sharp  knife  and  skin  the  lump  right  out;  let  the  dog  go  and  do 
nothing  more  to  it,  only  let  the  dog  lick  it,  for  it  is  dangerous  to 
put  medicine  on  cuts  or  wounds  where  the  dog  can  lick  it,  for  the 
medicine  might  poison  him. 

CONSTIPATION  IN  DOGS. 

This  is  where  the  bowels  have  stopped  working. 

Symptoms. — The  dog  will  not  eat,  seems  very  dull  and 
dumpish ;  the  belly  seems  fuller  than  natural ;  he  is  often 
noticed  to  strain,  but  does  not  pass  much,  and  anything  that  does 
come  away  will  be  hard  and  dry. 

Treatment. — For  a  small  or  young  dog  give 
Syrup  of  Buckthorn J  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful. 

Pour  this  down  twice  a  day,  night  and  morning,  until  the 
bowels  are  moved.  For  a  large  dog  give  one-half  ounce  or  two  table- 
spoonfuls  of  syrup  of  buckthorn  twice  a  day  until  it  acts  on  him. 
Castor  oil  is  also  recommended  to  be  given  in  the  same  propor- 
tions as  the  syrup  of  buckthorn.  As  well  as  giving  the  medicine 
mentioned  give  an  injection  of  a  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water 
with  a  little  soap  in  it  twice  a  day.  Give  the  dog  gentle  exercise 
once  a  day  and  see  that  he  has  nothing  but  new  milk  to  drink 
during  the  time  he  is  sick. 

DIARRHOEA  IN  DOGS. 

This  is  not  a  very  common  disease  in  dogs,  but  is  sometimes 
seen,  and  is  generally  caused  from  a  change  in  his  food. 

Treatment. — Keep  the  dog  very  quiet,  and  in  some  cases  by 
g'iving  him  boiled  new  milk  with  a  little  dry  flour  in  it,  it  will 
:heck  the  diarrhoea  without  any  medicine.  If  this  fails,  give  to  a 
small  dog  half  a  dram  or  half  a  teaspoonful  of  tincture  of  laud- 
anum and  a  teaspoonful  of  whisky  in  a  tablespoonful  of  new  milk 
as  a  drench.  For  a  large  dog  give  one  dram  or  a  teaspoonful  of 
tincture  of  laudanum  and  a  tablespoonful  of  whisky  mixed  in  h«if 


356  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

a  teacupful  of  boiled  milk  and  flour  and  give  as  a  drench.  Re- 
peat the  drench  three  times  a  day  until  he  gets  all  right.  During" 
the  treatment  keep  the  dog  very  quiet  and  give  very  little  to  eat 
except  boiled  new  milk  with  a  little  dry  flour  sifted  in  it. 

WORMS. 

Symptoms. — The  dog  has  a  good  appetite,  but  does  not 
thrive  well,  his  hair  is  dry  looking  and  dusty.  Occasionally  there 
will  be  a  worm  noticed  to  pass  away  in  his  manure.  Sometimes 
dogs  affected  very  badly  with  worms  will  take  fits. 

Treatment. — For  a  medium-sized  dog  give  one  dram  of 
oil  of  male  shield  fern  mixed  with  four  tablespoonfuls  of 
new  milk.  Pour  it  down  by  putting  it  well  back  in  the  mouth 
with  a  spoon  or  bottle  and  holding  his  head  until  he  swallows  it. 
Give  this  dose  every  third  day  until  the  bowels  are  moving  free 
and  the  dog  is  relieved  of  worms. 

DISTEMPER  IN  DOGS. 

This  is  a  very  common  disease  in  dogs  from  three  to  six 
months  old,  but  may  affect  them  at  any  age,  and  is  mostly  seen 
during  the  fall,  winter  and  spring.  This  disease  somewhat  re- 
sembles distemper  in  horses. 

Causes. — It  is  caused  from  parasites,  or  germs,  getting  into 
the  blood  and  setting  up  the  disease  in  the  same  manner  as  dis- 
temper in  horses.  By  allowing  the  affected  dog  to  be  with  other 
dogs  they  will  catch  it  from  him. 

Symptoms. — The  dog  is  very  dull  and  sleepy  looking,  tries  to 
get  in  a  quiet,  dark  place  and  refuses  to  eat,  his  eyes  keep  run- 
ning water,  and  after  a  time  they  become  very  sore.  In  a  few 
days  his  hair  becomes  dry,  there  is  a  discharge  from  the  nose, 
eyes,  and  sometimes  from  the  penis,  the  bowels  are  costive,  the 
dog  falls  off  in  condition,  the  symptoms  gradually  get  worse,  and 
if  he  does  not  get  relief  he  will  go  into  convulsions  or  fits  and 
soon  die.  Like  other  diseases  of  this  kind  it  must  run  its  course, 
which  should  last  about  nine  days. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  is  very  simple.      Give  the  affected 

dog  nothing  to  eat  but  new  milk  and  the  following  medicine: 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur , i       " 

Ground  Gentian  Root J       " 

Mix  thoroughly  together,  and   for   a   large   dog   give   half  a 

teaspoonful  of  the  mixture  three  times  a  day  on  his  tongue  with  ;j 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  DOGS.  357 

spoon  or  in  his  milk.  Regulate  the  dose  in  proportion  to  the  size 
-of  the  dog".  Keep  the  dog-  in  a  quiet,  clean  place ;  wash  off  the 
discharge  from  his  eyes  and  nose  with  luke  warm  water,  and 
afterwards  wipe  dry  with  a  soft  cloth.  If  his  bowels  are  costive, 
give  from  a  teaspoonful  to  a  tablespoonful,  according  to  the  size 
of  the  dog,  of  syrup  of  buckthorn  once  a  day  until  the  bowels 
move  freely;  after  that  give  a  dose  once  or  twice  a  week  to  keep 
the  bowels  free,  and  in  a  week  or  so  the  dog  will  begin  to  get 
better.      Be  careful  not  to  let  him  get  cold  until  he  gets  all  right. 

MAD  DOG  (HYDROPHOBIA  OR  RABIES). 
This  disease  originates  spontaneously  in  dogs  and  cats  with- 
out being  bitten,  and  is  mostly  seen  in  very  hot  weather  and  in 
hot   climates.      It  may  also  be    caused  by   dogs    or    cats    being 
bitten  by  another  mad  dog  or  cat. 

Symptoms. — The  aflfected  dog  is  first  noticed  to  become 
excited;  runs  about  and  bites  at  everything  that  comes  in  his  way; 
saliva  keeps  running  from  his  mouth  and  his  eyes  are  blood- 
shot. After  this,  the  dog  will  take  a  spell  of  quietness,  and 
will  go  and  lie  down  in  an  out-of-the-way  place.  He  seems  to 
have  a  depraved  appetite;  will  eat  clay  and  all  sorts  of  dirt. 
Suddenly,  he  will  again  become  excited  and  run  about  biting  at 
everything  that  comes  in  his  way,  the  same  as  at  first.  A  mad 
dog  rarely,  if  ever,  goes  out  of  his  way  to  bite  anything. 
In  running  about  he  keeps  snapping  his  teeth,  and  once  in  a 
while  gives  a  peculiar  howl.  He  has  great  difficulty  in  swallow- 
ing, and  in  some  cases  cannot  swallow  at  all.  These  symptoms 
gradually  get  worse  until  the  dog  dies.  The  time  the  disease 
affects  a  dog  after  being  bitten  varies  from  ten  to  fifteen  days. 

Treatment. — As  soon  as  the  dog  is  noticed  to  be  mad,  have 
him  destroyed,  for  he  is  very  dangerous  to  have  around,  and, 
besides,  there  is  no  cure  for  it.  In  cases  where  a  dog  has  been 
bitten,  by  a  mad  dog  or  cat,  cut  the  piece  out  where  he  was  bitten 
and  burn  the  hole  with  caustic  potash,  nitrate  of  silver  or  a  red 
hot  iron,  which  will  destroy  the  poison  before  it  gets  into  the 
system. 

CHOREA. 

This  is  a  disease  that  affects  the  nerves,  causing  the  affected 
part  to  keep  jerking. 

Causes. — It  is  very  often  noticed  after  a  dog  has  had  a  very 
i5evere  attack  of  distemper,  or  it  may  be  caused  from  an  injury. 


358  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

Symptoms. — There  is  a  continual  jerking  of  the  muscles 
around  the  affected  part  when  the  dog-  is  resting. 

Treatment. — There  cannot  be  much  done  for  it  after  the 
disease  has  once  set  in,  but  by  giving  from  one-quarter  to  one  halt 
a  dram  of  bromide  of  potassium  twice  a  day  on  his  tongue  with  a 
spoon  or  in  a  little  new  milk,  according  to  the  size  of  the  dog,  as 
soon  as  the  disease  is  noticed,    it  will   nearly  always  effect  a  cure. 

DOGS  POISONED  WITH  RAT  POISON,  STRYCHNINE  OR  ARSENIC. 

Symptoms. — All  at  once  the  dog  seems  in  great  pain ;  takes 
fits;  slobbers  at  the  mouth;  the  eyes  are  bulged  out  and  blood- 
shot, and  he  keeps  trembling  all  over.  If  the  dog  shows  the  above 
symptoms,  and  you  have  had  poison  around  the  place,  or  he  has 
been  anywhere  that  he  could  possibly  get  it,  you  may  conclude 
he  has  been  poisoned. 

Treatment. — The  treatment  must  be  quick.  Give  the  dog 
an  emetic  to  make  him  vomit ;  this  is  the  only  way  you  can  save 
his  life.  The  idea  is  to  get  him  to  throw  up  the  poison  out  of  his 
stomach  before  it  gets  absorbed  into  the  blood.  Give  him  one 
tablespoonful  of  salt  dissolved  in  a  half  teacupful  of  luke  warm 
water  as  a  drench,  or  one  teaspoonful  of  mustard  dissolved  in  a 
half  teacupful  of  luke  warm  water  as  a  drench;  either  of  the 
above  will  cause  vomiting.  But  the  best  of  all,  if  you  have  it,  to 
make  him  vomit,  is  to  give  him  from  half  a  teaspoonful  to  a 
teaspoonful  of  sulphate  of  zinc  dissolved  in  a  half  teacupful  of 
luke  warm  water  and  give  it  as  a  drench.  If  you  can  get  him  to 
vomit  soon  enough  it  will  generally  save  his  life. 

FRACTURES  OR  BROKEN  BONES  IN  DOGS. 

Causes. — Fractures  of  bones  in  the  dog  may  occur  in  various^ 
ways,  such  as  a  kick  or  being  struck  with  anything. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  vary  according  to  the  part 
affected.  It  it  is  a  fracture  of  the  neck  bones  the  dog  dies  instant- 
ly ;  if  in  the  back  it  causes  paralysis  of  his  hind  quarters;  if  it  is  in 
the  hip  or  hind  leg  it  is  easily  told,  for  the  dog  cannot  use  the  leg 
and  hops  along  on  the  other  three  while  the  broken  one  will  be 
dangling;  if  it  is  a  fracture  in  the  front  leg,  he  acts  similar  to  when 
the  fracture  is  in  the  hind  leg.  To  make  sure  it  is  a  fracture, 
catch  the  dog  and  move  the  afTected  parts  and  you  can  hear  the 
ends  of  the  broken  bone  grinding  on  each  other. 

Treatment. —  if  the  fracture  is  in  the  back,  there  can  be  noth- 
ing done  but  to  destroy  the  dog,  to  put  him  out  of  pain.      If  it  i& 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  DOGS.  359 

the  hip  or  shoulder  bone  that  is  fractured  and  it  is  a  young  dog- 
keep  him  perfectly  quiet  and  the  bones  will  soon  knit  together,  but 
if  it  is  a  very  old  dog  there  is  not  much  chance  of  the  bones 
knitting  together,  although  they  might.  If  the  fracture  is  down 
on  the  leg  set  the  broken  bone  to  its  place  and  have  a  long,  starch 
bandage  (which  is  a  bandage  soaked  in  starch  and  then  wrung  out 
as  dry  as  possible),  roll  the  bandage  around  the  fractured  leg 
letting  it  go  two  or  three  inches  above  and  below  the  fracture, 
wrap  it  moderately  tight  and  hold  the  leg  and  bandage  straight 
until  the  bandage  hardens.  Keep  the  dog  quiet  and  leave  the 
bandage  on  for  three  or  four  weeks  until  the  bones  are  healed  and 
he  can  use  his  leg  all  right. 

BREEDING  PUPS  AND  TROUBLES  MET  WITH  AT  PUPPING  TIME. 

Bitches  usually  come  in  heat  about  twice  a  year,  but  some 
come  oftener  than  that.  She  is  nine  days  coming  in  heat  and  nine 
days  going  off,  during  that  time  she  will  take  the  dog  about  nine 
or  ten  days.  It  is  best  to  keep  the  bitch  shut  up  during  the 
eighteen  days,  so  that  no  other  dog  but  the  one  you  want  to  breed 
to  can  get  at  her.  If  you  want  to  get  bitch  pups,  let  the  dog  to 
her  as  soon  as  she  will  take  him;  while  if  you  want  to  get  dog 
pups,  let  her  go  for  seven  or  eight  days  after  she  would  have  taken 
the  dog,  before  you  let  the  dog  to  her  and  you  are  almost  sure  to 
get  dog  pups.  The  bitch  carries  her  pups  nine  weeks.  At  the  end 
of  that  time,  and  a  few  hours  before  pupping,  she  will  try  to  get  away 
to  some  quiet  place  and  make  a  nest.  As  a  general  thing  after  she 
once  starts  to  pup,  it  does  not  take  her  long  to  have  them  all. 
Sometimes  we  have  cases  where  she  cannot  pup  alone,  that  is,  where 
one  of  the  pups  is  coming  wrong — sometimes  head  first  with  the 
front  legs  turned  back,  and  it  gets  caught  at  the  shoulders.  In 
this  case  shove  the  pup  back  a  little,  slip  your  finger  in  under  the 
front  legs  and  bring  them  forward,  and  it  will  then  come  all  right. 
If  the  front  legs  are  coming  out  and  the  head  and  neck  are  turned 
back,  shove  the  pup  back  a  little,  and  straighten  the  head  and 
neck  up  along  with  the  front  legs,  and  the  pup  will  soon  come  all 
right.  Sometimes  the  pup  comes  backwards  with  only  his  rump 
and  tail  up  in  the  passage,  in  this  case  shove  the  pup  back  and 
straighten  up  the  two  hind  feet,  and  bring  the  pup  away* 
backwards.  Before  starting  to  work  at  a  job  of  this  kind,  have 
your  fingers  and  hands  oiled  so  as  not  to  irritate  the  bitch,  some- 
times a  small  hook  will  be  of  some  use,  but  if  you  use  one  be  very 
careful  not  to  tear  her.      Bitches  are  not  verv  liable  to  disease  after 


360  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

pupping  and  the   only  thing  to  be  done  is  to  see  that  she  is  dry 
and  warm,  and  that  the  pups  are  sucking  her  all  right. 

HOW  TO  CUT  PUPS'  TAILS. 

This  is  usually  done  when  the  pup  is  nbout  a  month  old.     The 

length  of  the  tail  to  be  left  on  varies   with   the   breed   of  the  pup  ; 

find  out  the   length   you   want  to  leave  it  and   then   find  the  joint, 

and  cut  it  through  with  one  stroke  of  a  sharp  knife.      They  do  not 

usually  bleed,  but  if    it    should,    touch    the    spots    with    Monsell's 

solution  of  iron,  or  if  you  have  not  got  that  just  touch  it  with  a 

red  hot  iron  which  will  stop  it,  but  in  most  cases  it  will  be  all  right 

without  anything. 

HOW  TO  CASTRATE  A  DOG. 

This  operation  is  done  at  all  ages — but  like  other  animals  it  is 
best  done  when  he  is  young  ;  it  is  very  simple.  Catch  the  dog  and 
roll  him  up  in  a  blanket,  turning  his  front  legs  back  and  his  hind 
legs  forward  so  as  to  catch  them  in  the  blanket,  and  have  him  held 
on  his  back  with  his  hind  end  stuck  out  of  the  blanket  enough  to 
get  at  the  bag.  Take  hold  of  the  testicle  with  your  left  hand,  and 
with  a  sharp  knife  in  your  right  hand,  let  out  the  testicle  by 
making  a  cut  in  the  bag  large  enough  to  let  it  out,  separate  the 
covering  which  is  attached  to  the  back  part  of  the  testicle  with 
your  knife,  as  soon  as  this  is  cut  draw  the  testicle  well  up,  and  if 
he  is  a  young  dog  cut  the  cord  off  with  a  scissors  which  will  stop 
the  bleeding,  but  if  he  is  an  old  dog,  tie  the  cord  tight  with  a  piece 
of  strong  string,  leaving  the  ends  long  enough  so  they  will  hang 
out  of  the  bag,  then  cut  the  testicle  off  about  one-half  an  inch 
below  where  it  is  tied,  operate  on  the  other  testicle  in  the  same 
way,  and  fill  the  holes  with  salty  butter  and  let  him  go. 

HOW  TO  SPAY  A  BITCH. 

This  operation  is  taking  the  ovaries  away  from  the  bitch,  to 
prevent  her  from  coming  in  heat  and  getting  with  pup.  It  is  best 
to  perform  this  operation  when  the  bitch  is  between  six  and  nine 
months  old  and  before  she  comes  in  heat  for  the  first  time,  but  it 
can  be  done  at  any  time,  and  we  have  even  done  it  when  she  was 
with  pup,  and  be  all  right,  but,  if  it  is  done  when  she  is  with  pup 
she  will  generally  lose  her  pups.  It  is  best  to  have  the  bitch  thin 
•n  condition,  not  giving  her  anything  to  eat  or  drink  but  milk  the 
-lay  before  the  operation.  What  is  needed  for  this  operation  is  a 
-^harp  knife,  a  sewing  needle  and  string  (the  same  as  is  used  for 
s.ewing  up  wounds),  and   a   probe,  which  can   be  made   out    of   a 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  DOGS.  361 

piece  of  wire  about  eight  inches  long  having  one  end  rounded  so 
it  will  not  hurt  her  while  it  is  being  passed  up  into  the  womb,  and 
a  scissors.  As  well  as  these  you  need  a  large  sponge  and  about 
eight  ounces  of  sulphuric  ether  which  is  usea  to  pat  her  asleep. 

Catch  the  bitch  and  place  her  on  a  table  or  box  where  you 
are  going  to  operate  ;  saturate  the  sponge  with  sulphuric  ether 
and  hold  it  tight  to  her  nose,  making  her  breathe  right  through 
the  sponge.  Watch  her  carefully,  and  as  soon  as  she  is  under 
the  influence  of  it  so  much  that  she  has  no  power  of  herself  then 
take  the  sponge  and  ether  away  from  her  nose  and  commence  to 
operate.  Have  some  one  to  watch  her  head  all  the  time,  and 
when  she  commences  to  stir  a  little  place  the  sponge  saturated 
with  ether  to  her  nose  again  until  she  is  quiet,  and  keep  doing 
this  all  through  the  operation,  but  be  careful  not  to  give  her  too 
much,  just  enough  to  keep  her  asleep.  Have  the  bitch  on  her 
back;  commence  operating  by  oiling  the  probe  and  passing  it 
carefully  up  into  the  passage  until  it  is  in  the  womb  ;  make  a  cut 
about  an  inch  long  in  the  center  of  the  belly,  between  the  four 
last  teats  ;  oil  your  fingers  anc^  insert  the  first  finger  of  the  left 
hand  into  the  cut,  while  with  your  right  hand  you  take  hold  of  the 
probe  and  press  it  down  at  the  end  so  the  end  inside  of  her 
will  be  raised  toward  the  hole  in  the  skin  of  the  belly;  with  your 
finger  in  the  cut  feel  the  end  of  the  probe  ;  the  part  you  feel  is  the 
womb  ;  now  slip  your  finger  forward  under  the  womb  and  bring 
the  two  horns  that  branch  out  from  the  womb  up  and  out  through 
the  hole  with  your  finger,  then  draw  one  of  the  horns  well  up 
until  the  ovary,  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  pea,  comes  outside, 
then  with  the  scissors  cut  it  off ;  do  the  same  with  the  other  horn, 
cutting  off  the  other  ovary  ;  wash  the  parts  off  clean  with  carbolic 
water — five  drops  of  carbolic  acid  to  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water — 
and  shove  the  parts  carefully  back  to  their  place  and  sew  up  the 
skin  by  putting  in  a  few  stitches  ;  after  this  take  the  sponge  away 
from  her  nose  ;  pour  a  little  cold  water  mto  her  mouth  and  on  her 
head  and  let  her  come  to,  then  keep  her  very  quiet  for  a  week  or  so, 
feeding  her  mostly  on  new  milk  and  she  will  come  all  right.  The 
operation  is  very  simple  when  once  you  have  performed  it  and 
know  how  to  go  about  it.  A  person  wishing  to  become  an  ex- 
pert at  spaying  had  better  thoroughly  examine  the  womb,  horns  of 
the  womb  and  ovaries  in  a  dead  bitch  before  trying  the  operation 
on  a  live  one,  as  it  will    give   a   better  idea  how   t  o  go   about  it. 


362 


THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 


Another  thing  to  bear  in  mind  in  this  operation,  as  well  as  in 
other  operations,  always  have  everything-  perfectly  clean.  When 
this  precaution  is  taken  the  operation  is  generally  successtul. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  POULTRY. 


ROUP. 

Roup  is  considered  by  all  poultry  men  the  worst  and  most 
dreaded  disease  that  can  aflflict  poultry. 

C^USe. — From  germs  settling  in  the  throat,  or  it  may  be  caused 
from  neglected  colds. 

There  are  many  remedies  for  roup,  but  we  think  the  following 
as  is  given  in  "  Success  With  Poultry,"  is  one  of  the  very  best  : 

Treatment. — Pen  the  fowl  in  warm,  dry  quarters,  and  keep  out 
all  drafts  of  cold  and  damp  air.  Feed  hot  bran,  mashed  potatoes 
and  meat,  and  medicate  the  throat,  mouth  and  nostrils  with 
cloride  of  sodium  or  common  salt,  as  follows  :  Take  a  bucketful 
of  warm  water  ;  put  a  teacupful  of  salt  in  this  amount  of  water  ; 
then  catch  the  fowl,  examine  the  throat  and  nostrils,  removing 
all  mucous  matter  out  of  the  nostrils,  and  then  filling  a  pint  cup  for 
each  afflicted  fowl,  hold  it  by  the  feet — head  down,  choke  it  until 
the  mouth  is  wide  open  and  then  insert  the  head  into  the  solution. 
Comb  down,  so  the  medicated  water  may  enter  the  clift  in  the 
palate  and    go   out    at    each    nostril    and  into    the    throat.      Each 


DISEASES  AND  TEEATMENT  OF  POULTRY.  363 

should  be  separately  ireated.  Kerosene  injected  into  the  nostrils 
is  good  ;  also  camphorated  sweet  oil.  Ten  drops  of  coal  oil  or 
kerossne  added  to  two  drops  of  water  for  a  flock  of  twenty  fowls 
will  often  effect  a  cure.  But  when  this  remedy  is  applied,  do  not 
attempt  to  prepare  one  of  the  flock  for  table  use  for  three  or  four 
weeks  thereafter,  as  the  entire  carcass  will  be  tainted  with  coal  oil. 
Important. — ^In  treating-  roup,  be  careful  to  remove  any 
discharge  from  the  nostrils  that  may  collect  on  the  feathers  under 
the  wings  or  on  the  breast.  Be  sure  and  protect  the  sick  fowls 
from  all  drafts  and  feed  easily  digested  food.  When  the  fowls 
look  stupid  and  droopy,  feathers  rough  and  no  appetite,  reduce 
their  food  to  even  fasting. 

HEN  LICE  IN  A  HEN  HOUSE  AND  ON  HENS. 

When  once  hen  lice  get  started  they  increase  very  rapidly 
and  become  a  perfect  nuisance  to  the  hens  and  the  owner,  and  in 
some  cases  they  will  spread  to  other  buildings  and  get  on  the 
stock.      Hen  lice  are   very  small  and   have  a  reddish  appearance. 

Treatment. — The  first  step  to  be  taken  to  get  rid  of  the  hen 
lice  is  to  drive  all  the  hens  out  of  the  hen  house,  close  up  the 
windows  and  doors,  put  a  pound  of  sulphur  in  a  pot,  put  some 
coals  in  it  to  start  the  sulphur  burning,  and  keep  it  burning  for 
about  half  a  day.  The  fumes  from  the  sulphur  will  go  into  all 
the  cracks  and  thoroughly  fumigate  the  place  and  kil'  the  lice  ; 
•  Mer  this  open  the  doors  and  windows  and  clean  the  place  out 
thoroughly  and  put  plenty  of  hardwood  ashes  and  coal  dust  in  the 
hen  house  for  the  hens  to  roll  about  in  ;  this  kills  the  lice  on  the 
hens.  In  the  course  of  a  week  drive  the  hens  out  of  the  hen 
house  again  and  burn  sulphur  as  you  did  before,  this  will  rid  you 
entirely  of  the  pest,  and  by  watching  the  hens  and  giving  them 
plenty  of  ashes  and  coal  dust  to  roll  in,  will  keep  the  lice  off  them 
after  this.  It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  feed  the  hens  lots  of  sulphur 
and  new  milk,  give  every  night,  two  tablespoonfuls  of  sulphur  to 
a  quart  of  new  milk,  this  would  be  about  the  proper  dose  for 
twenty-five  hens.  The  sulphur  passing  off  through  the  pores  in 
the  skin  helps  greatly  to  kill  the  lice.  Whitewash  the  walls, 
ceiling,  roosts  and  nests  of  the  hen  house,  and  put  clean  straw  in 
the  nests  ;  this  will  eff'ect  a  complete  cure.  If  the  lice  are  in 
otlier  buildings  treat  just  the  same  way  as  mentioned  for  a  hen 
house.      Tliis    treatment   tor  ki  ling   the  hen  lice  will  also  kill  the 


364  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

germs  of  other  c'iseases  such  as  roup,  etc.,  and  is  a  process  that 
a  hen  house  should  have  ever}'  iall  and  spring  to  keep  diseases 
from  the  fowl. 

CHOLERA. 

Cholera  is  very  contagious.  The  cause  of  it  is  overcrowding, 
bad  sanitary  management,  unwholesome  or  irregular  food,  etc. 
Chicken  cholera  is  not  very  well  understood  by  poultry  raisers, 
and  we  believe  it  is  a  fact  that  a  great  many  diseases  are  called 
cholera  simply  because  it  is  not  understood.  Everyone  w'ho 
keeps  fowls  should  be  able  to  tell  cholera  from  other  diseases,  for 
without  such  knowledge  it  is  impossible  to  treat  the  disease 
properl}'. 

Symptoms. — The  fowl  has  a  very  sleepy,  droopy  appearance  ; 
it  is  very  thirsty  and  has  a  slow  gait  and  tjapes  often.  Some- 
times the  fowl  staggers  and  falls  down  from  great  weakness. 
The  comb  and  wattles  lose  their  natural  color,  generally  turning 
pale  and  sometimes  they  are  dark.  There  is  diarrhoea  with  a 
greenish  discharge,  or  like  sulphur  and  water.  The  crop  fills 
■with  mucus  and  wind,  and  at  last  the  food  is  not  digested. 
Breathing  is  heavy  and  fast,  the  eyes  close,  and  in  a  few  hours 
the  fowl  dies. 

Trea.tmeilt. — The  first  thing  to  be  done  when  cholera  makes 
its  appearance  is  to  give  the  coops  and  yards  a  thorough 
renovating  ;  disinfect  with  carbolic  acid,  40  drops  to  the  pint  of 
water.  Remove  all  aflfected  fowls  and  burn  the  carcass  of  dead 
ones.  The  best  and  most  effective  remedy  for  cholera  that  we 
have  ever  used  is  coal  oil  or  kerosene.  The  coal  oil  should  be 
given  about  four  times  a  week,  as  follows  :  Take  a  feeding  of 
corn  and  wheat  and  let  it  soak  in  the  oil  a  few  hours,  and  then 
feed  it  to  the  fowls,  or  mix  it  in  soft  food,  one  teaspoonful  of  oil 
to  every  two  quarts  of  corn  meal.  While  treating  do  not  give 
much  water  to  drink. 

CANKER. 

Canker  is  caused  by  filthy  quarters  and  musty  or  unwhole- 
some food.  Canker  may  be  noticed  by  running  sores  on  the 
tiead,  in  the  mouth  or  throat  accompanied  with  a  watery  discharge 
from  the  eyes. 

Treatment. — Take  warm  water  and  a  little  salt  and  wash  the 
head  and   eyes,  also   swab   out   the   throat   and    mouth.      Remove 


DISEASES  AND  TKEATMENT  OF  POULTRY.  365- 

ulcers  with  a  quill  and  apply  powdered  borax  to  the  places  left 
bare.  Repeat  this  treatment  twice  a  day  and  a  cure  will  be 
effected. 

CROP  BOUND. 

The  most  usual  cause  is  that  the  fowl  has  swallowed  some- 
thing-  that  it  cannot  digest.  The  foreign  substance  may  be  a 
piece  of  bone,  or  anything  that  obstructs  the  natural  passage. 

Treatment. — The  best  treatment  tor  crop  bound  is  castor  oil. 
Give  the  fowl  two  teaspoonfuls  in  one  dcse.  If  this  does  not 
clear  the  crop  in  24  hours  it  cannot  be  cured,  and  the  best  remedy 
is  to  apply  the  hatchet  just  back  of  the  comb. 

GAPES. 

Gapes  in  fowls  is  caused  from  drinking  dirty  water,  exposure- 
to  wet,  damp  places,  and  want  of  nourishing  food. 

Symptoms. — The  symptoms  of  gapes,  as  the  name  implies, 
consists  of  constant  gaping,  coughing  and  sneezing. 

Treatment. — Give  the  bird,  daily,  unless  it  recovers,  a  small 
piece  of  camphor,  about  the  size  of  a  grain  of  wheat,  and  a  few 
drops  of  turpentine  in  the  drinking  water,  or  mix  in  the  food 
about  10  drops  to  the  pint. 

LEG  WEAKNESS. 

The  principal  cause  of  leg  weakness,  in  most  strain  of  fowls, 
arises  from  inbreeding  or  breeding  the  same  strain  of  fowls  for 
too  long  a  period.  It  is  also  caused  from  overfeeding,  which  in- 
creases the  weight  of  the  body  out  of  proportion  to  the  muscular 
strength  of  the  limbs  and  usually  occurs  in  the  larger  breeds. 

Treatment. —  In  the  first  stages,   give  : 

Sulphate  of  Iron ^  pound. 

Sulphate  of  Lime ,..^       " 

Mix  and  give  the  fowl  about  the  size  of  two  peas  of  the 
mixture  on  its  tongue  twice  a  day.  If,  however,  the  bird  is 
unable  to  walk  it  is  incurable. 

SCALY  LEGS. 

This  disease  is  contagious,  and  one  scnly  legged  fowl  will 
affect  the  whole  flock.  The  disease  is  caused  by  a  small  insect 
which  burrows  under  the  scales.  The  best  and  most  effective 
remedy  is  to  dip  the  fowl's  feet  and  legs  in  kerosene  or  coal  oil 


S66  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

clear  up  to  the  feathers.  Some  people  say  that  this  is  severe  and 
think  kerosene  will  burn  and  make  the  flesh  sore.  This  is  a  great, 
mistake,  and  to  satisfy  yourself,  just  take  some  kerosene  and  put  it 
on  your  own   flesh,   and  you  will  find   it  will  not  hurt  you  at  all. 

BIG  HEAD  IN  TURKEYS. 

This  is  a  disease  mostly  seen  in  turkeys,  but  occasionally  is 
seen  in  other  fowl.  It  may  affect  turkeys  at  any  age,  but  is  seen 
mostly  when  they  are  young. 

Causes. — This  disease  is  caused  from  small  germs  or  parasites 
getting  into  the  system  and  affecting  the  head.  When  one  turkey 
becomes  affected  it  generally  spreads  through  the  whole  flock. 

Symptoms. — The  first  symptom  noticed  is  swelling  around 
the  head,  usually  in  front  of  the  eyes.  In  some  cases  the  swelling 
only  affects  one  side  of  the  head,  and  keeps  swelling  until  it  closes 
the  eye  right  up,  and  the  turkey  goes  around  with  its  head  to  one 
side,  while  in  other  cases  both  sides  become  swollen  at  the  same 
time,  and  closes  both  the  eyes.  Although  these  swellings  are 
mostly  seen  in  front  of  the  eyes,  it  may  affect  other  parts  of  the 
head,  and  even  the  feet  in  some  cases.  If  not  treated,  the  swelling 
gradually  increases  around  the  head  until  it  works  into  the  throat 
and  kills  the  turkey  ;  if  in  the  foot,  it  swells  and  becomes  so  bad 
that  it  finally  dies. 

Treatment. — When  this  disease  gets  into  a  flock  of  turkeys, 
if  it  is  not  treated  it  will  kill  nearly  all  the  turkeys  in  the  flock 
before  it  stops.  Separate  the  diseased  turkeys  from  the  sound 
ones,  and  give  to  a  medium  sized  turkey  three  drops  of  spirits  of 
tupentine  mixed  in  a  teaspoonful  of  raw  linseed  oil.  The  best 
way  to  give  it  is  to  pour  it  down  with  a  spoon.  Give  this  dose 
once  a  day  and  rub  around  the  swelling  with  white  liniment  once 
a  day;  this  will  gradually  cure  the  turkeys  if  taken  in  time.  If  the 
swelling  is  very  large  before  you  start  to  treat  it,  split  the  lumps 
open  with  a  sharp  knife  and  squeeze  the  cheesey  matter  out  of  it, 
then  fill  the  hole  and  rub  the  swelling  with  white  liniment ;  keep 
this  treatment  up  until  the  turkey  is  all  right.  Be  careful  not  to 
let  the  liniment  into  the  eye  while  applying  it  to  the  head. 


PART  V. 

Medicines  and  Receipts. 


CHAPTER     I. 


MEDICINES. 

Medicines  are  got  from  three  great  sources,  viz. :  The  animal, 
vegetable  and  mineral  kingdoms.  This  part  of  the  book  is  very 
important  and  should  be  carefully  studied  by  persons  interested, 
as  it  gives  the  names  of  the  medicines,  the  sources  they  are  got 
from,  their  action  and  use,  the  dose  to  each  of  the  animals  and 
how  long  it  takes  to  operate. 

ACONITE. 

Aconite  is  got  from  a  plant  that  grows  in  cool,  mountainous 
countries.  The  form  of  aconite  we  recommend  and  use  is  Flem- 
ing's Tincture,  which  is  got  from  the  root  of  the  plant. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Aconite  acts  on  the  heart  and  blood 
vessels,  causing  the  heart  to  beat  slower,  and  in  this  way  lowers 
blood  pressure  in  the  system,  thus  it  is  good  in  most  kinds  of 
inflammation  where  the  animal  is  in  good  condition,  and  is  used 
now  in  nearly  every  case  in  place  of  bleeding. 

Dose. — Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite— For   horses,    8  to    10 

drops;   cattle,  8   to  12  drops;    sheep,  2  to  3  drops;   pigs  and  dogs, 

1  to  2  drops. 

ALCOHOL. 

Alcohol  is  got  from  certain  kinds  of  wood,  grapes,  beets, 
potatoes,  etc.  It  is  not  used  much  in  its  pure  state  for  doctoring 
stock,  but  is  used  in  the  form  of  liquors  for  medicines.  One 
preparation,  known  as  methylated  spirits  of  alcohol  is  used  in 
makinof  liniments. 


368  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

Its  Action  and  Use. —  Its  action  is  as  a  stimulant,  and  it  also 
acts  on  the  kidneys  as  a  diuretic,  and  is  mostly  used  in  the  form  of 
liquors,  such  as  whisky,  gin,  beer  and  ale.  For  external  use  see 
where  methylated  spirits  of  alcohol  is  used  in  making  up  white 
and  acid  liniments  among  the  receipts. 

Dose. — For  horses  (whisky),  1  to  2  wine  glassfuls;  cattle, 
2  to  4  wine  glassfuls;  sheep,  1  wine  glassful;  pigs  and  dogs,  1  to 
2  tablespoonfuls.  For  horses  (gin),  1  wine  glassful;  cattle,  1 
to  2  wine  glassfuls;  sheep,  1  to  2  teaspoonfuls;  pigs  and  dogs, 
1    teaspoonful.      For  horses   (beer   and    ale),  ^   to    1    pint;   cattle,. 

1  pint;  sheep,  :^  to  i  pint;  pigs  and  dogs,  1  wine  glassful. 

ALOES. 

Aloes  is  got  from  a  plant  grown  in  the  West  India  Islands. 
There  are  three  kinds  of  Aloes:  Barbadoes,  Socotrine  and  Cape. 
The  Barbadoes  is  the  best,  and  is  the  kind  mostly  used  for  stock. 
It  is  a  liver-brown  color,  bitter  to  taste  and  is  usually  bought 
either  in  the  form  of  a  powder  or  lumps. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Aloes  acts  as  a  physic  and  blood  puri- 
fier and  is  used  in  a  great  many  diseases,  especially  in  the 
horse. 

Dose. — For  horses,  8  to  10  drams;  cattle,  1  to  2  ounces;   sheep, 

2  to  4  drams  ;  pigs  and  dogs,  1  to  2  drams.  In  preparing  aloes 
for  a  drench  it  must  be  dissolved  in  water  that  is  just  luke  warm, 
for  if  the  water  is  too  warm  it  spoils  the  action  of  the  aloes,  and  if 
it  is  too  cold  it  will  not  dissolve  properly.  In  giving  it  as  a  ball, 
see  receipt  of  physic  ball  in  the  back  of  this  book.  It  takes  aloes 
twenty-four  hours  to  operate  on  the  bowels  in  horses  and  cattle, 
and  after  giving  them  a  dose  they  should  always  be  left  standing 
quietly  for  forty-eight  hours  after  giving  them  the  medicine. 

ALUM. 

Alum  is  got  from  the  alum  salts,  which  is  a  mineral. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  mostly  used  externally  in  the  form 
of  washes  for  healing  wounds.  It  is  also  dusted  onto  wounds  in 
the  form  of  a  powder,  and  is  very  drying  and  healing.  It  is  also 
used  in  gargle  powders  for  sore  throat,  influenza  and  aphtha  or 
sore  mouth. 

Dose. — The  way  it  is  used  internally  is  best  seen  in  the  receipt 
for  gargle  powders  at  the  back  of  this  book.  For  making  a  wash 
it  takes  a  tablespoonful  of  alum  to  a  pint  of  water. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS.  S69 

AMMONIA. 

Ammonia  is  obtained  from  plants  and  animals.  There  are 
several  forms  of  ammonia,  but  the  one  mostly  used  in  the 
practice  is  strong^  liquor  ammonia,  which  is  used  mostly  for  mak- 
ing liniments.      For  how  to  use  it  see  the  receipt  of  white  liniment 

at  back  of  this  book. 

ANISEED. 

Aniseed  grows  in  the  form  of  berries  on  bushes  that  grow  in 
Spain,  Germany  and  Southern  Russia.  The  berries  are  dried  and 
ground,    this    being    the    form    we    get    them    in. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  stimulates  digestion,  sweetens  the 
stomach,  and  in  cases  where  the  stomach  is  deranged  it  relieves 
the  gasses  that  form.  It  is  a  splendid  thing  for  animals  that  are 
recovering  from  weakening  diseases  to  give  them  an  appetite  and 
build  them  up. 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  tablespoon  ul;  cattle,  1  tablespoonful ;, 
sheep,  1  teaspoonful;   pigs  and  dogs,  ^  to  1  teaspoonful. 

ARNICA. 

Arnica  is  got  from  a  plant  that  grows  in  mountainous  coutr- 
tries  in  Central  Europe,  Asia  and  America.  The  form  we  use  is 
the  Tincture  of  Arnica,  which  is  taken  from  the  root  of  the  plant. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — it  is  not  used   much  internally,   but  is 

ased  externally  in  the  form  of  a  cooling  lotion  for  sprains,  wounds, 

»tc. — one  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls  of  arnica  to  a  pint  of  water 

and  applied  twice  a  day.      It  is  also  used  to  rub  race  horses'  legs 

Defore    and    after    bandaging    to    keep    them    from    getting    stiff 

and  sore. 

ARSENIC. 

Arsenic  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  In  its  pure  form 
It  is  not  much  used  in  practice  because  it  is  too  strong  and  power- 
ful. The  form  that  is  used  is  known  as  Fowler's  Solution,  which 
is  prepared  from  arsenic,  and  is  in  the  form  of  a  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  powerful  tonic  for  the  stomach 
and  system  in  general,  and  is  especially  used  after  weakening  dis- 
eases, such  as  distemper,  and  will  often  start  the  animal  to  thrive 
when  everything  else  will  fail. 

Dose.— For  horses,  i  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls;  cattle,  ^ 
ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls;  sheep,  1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful;  pigs 
and  dogs,  J  dram  or  h  teaspoonful.      Give  this  medicine  combined 

—24— 


370  THE  VETERINAEY  SCIENCE. 

with  an  ounce  of  whisk}'  and  half  a  pint  of  gruel  twice  a  day  until 
the  animal  gets  better  and  is  strong. 

BELLADONNA. 

Belladonna  is  got  from  a  plant  known  as  Deadly  Nightshade. 
It  grows  wild  in  some  parts  of  Great  Britain,  and  it  is  also  culti- 
vated to  a  great  extent.  The  form  that  is  used  mostly  in  practice 
is  the  Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  soothes,  softens  and  relaxes  the  parts 
applied  to,  and  is  greatly  used  where  there  is  inflammation  and 
pain  in  almost  any  part  of  the  body  to  relieve  the  pain  and  check 
the  inflammation.  The  Extract  of  Belladonna  is  strong  and  must 
be  used  carefully. 

Dose. — Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna — For  horses,  1  dram  or 
1  teaspoonful;  cattle,  1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful;  sheep,  10 
drops ;  pigs  and  dogs,  3  to  5  drops.  Belladonna  is  greatly 
used  for  diseases  of  the  eyes  in  the  form  of  an  eye  wash. 
For  further  information  look  at  the  receipt  for  eye  wash  at 
the  back  of  this  book.  It  is  also  greatly  used  for  dilating'  or 
opening  the  neck  of  the  womb,  in  any  animal,  where  it  remains 
closed  when  they  are  ready  to  be  delivered  of  their  young'.  It  is 
used  a  g'reat  deal  for  this  trouble  in  cows. 

BLACK  ANTIMONY. 

Black  antimony  is  got  from  the  mineral  king-dom,  and  the 
form  we  get  it  is  in  a  black,  heavy,  grayish  powder  that  has  neither 
smell  nor  taste. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  used  much  in  the  way  of 
medicine,  only  to  color  condition  powders,  etc.,  but  should 
not  be  used,  as  it  is  very  irritating  and  injurious  to  the  system. 
When  it  is  used  as  a  coloring  material  for  powders  it  is  in  this 
porportion :  one  teaspoonful  of  black  antimony  to  a  pound  of 
whatever  you  want  to  color. 

BUTTER  OF  ANTIMONY. 

Butter  of  antimony  is  also  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  and 
is  used  in  the  fp-rm  of  a  brown  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  never  used  internally,  for  it  is  an 
irritating  poison,  but  it  is  used  externally  for  curing  thrush  in 
horse's  feet,  and  for  burning  growths  off^  around  the  feet  that 
come  from  the  quick  of  the  foot.      It  is  also  good  in  cases  where 


MEDICINES  AND  KECEIPTS.  371 

a  nail  has  run  in  the  foot,  after  the  nail  is  pulled  out  and  the  nail-hole 

pared  out,  to  drop  a  few  drops   in   the   hole   to   kill   the  rust  and 

poison  of  the  nail. 

BENZOIN. 

Benzoin  is  got  from  a  tree  called  styrax  benzoin,  which 
grows  in  the  southern  part  of  Asia.  It  is  got  by  cutting  a  hole 
in  the  bark  and  catching  the  sap  which  afterwards  soon  becomes 
hard  and  brittle. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — The  form  we  use  this  in  is  known  as 
Compound  Tincture  of  Benzoin,  or  Friar's  Balsam,  which  is  pre- 
pared from  the  gum.  Its  chief  action  is  for  healing  wounds  by 
•painting  the  wound  over  with  a  feather  twice  a  day,  and  is  especi- 
ally useful  for  caulks,  or  where  a  nail  has  run  in  the  foot,  to  kill 
the  poison.  It  is  not  used  much  internally. 
BROMIDE  OF  POTASSIUM. 

Bromide  of  Potassium  is  prepared  from  seawater,  and  the 
form  we  usually  get  it  in  is  in  a  white  crystal  powder,  which  has  a 
salty  taste. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  is  to  quiet  the  nerves 
in  nervous  diseases,  such  as  lockjaw  (tetanus),  or  in  convulsions, 
•chorea  and  other  painful  diseases. 

Dose. — For    horses,    1    teaspoonful;    cattle,     1     teaspoonful; 

sheep,  3/2  teaspoonful ;   pigs  and  dogs,  ^  teaspoonful.     The  dose 

can   be  given  three  or  four  times  a  day,  according  to  the  severity 

of  the  case. 

BINIODID  OF  MERCURY  (RED  PRECIPITATE). 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is 
bought  in  the  form  of  a  heavy,  bright-red  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  chiefly  used  for  blistering  bony 
•enlargements,  such  as  spavins,  ringbones,  sidebones,  splints,  etc. 
The  proportions  in  which  it  is  used  is  1  to  2  drams  to  the  ounce 
of  vaseline,  or  lard,  according  to  the  breed  of  the  horse  and  thick- 
ness of  the  skin.  Have  the  mercury  and  vaseline,  or  lard, 
thoroughly  mixed  before  using,  and  three  days  after  applying  the 
blister  grease  the  part  with  lard.  For  further  information  look  at 
mercury  blister  among  the  receipts. 

BUCKTHORN. 

Buckthorn  is  got  from  the  ripe  berries  of  a  shrubby  bush  that 
grows  along  the  North  Pacific  Coast.  The  form  we  use  it  in  is 
known  as  Syrup  ot  Buckthorn. 


372  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Its  Action  and  Use.^It  is  principally  used  as  a  mild  physic 
for  dogfs. 

Dose. — For  a  dog"  g"ive  1  to  2  ounces  ;  cats,  ^2  ounce.  A. 
very  good  plan  is  to  give  a  tablespoonful  of  the  syrup  every  night 
and  morning  until  you  get  the  desired  results. 

CAMPHOR. 

Camphor  is  got  from  a  tall,  evergreen  tree  known  as  the- 
Laurel  Camphor,  which  grows  in  Japan,  China,  and  different 
parts  of  Europe.  The  branches  are  cut  and  boiled  in  water  and 
the  camphor  rises  to  the  top  in  the  form  of  a  gum. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  mostly  used  in  mixtures  for 
coughs,  sore  throat  and  heaves.  How  to  use  it  is  best  seen  in 
the  receipt  for  chronic  cough,  and  heaves  or  broken  wind. 

CANTHARIDES  OR  SPANISH  FLY. 

Cantharides  are  got  from  flies  which  receive  the  name  Spanish 
Fly  on  account  of  so  many  of  them  coming  from  Spain.  The  flies- 
are  of  a  g-reen  color,  and  an  inch  in  length,  and  are  captured  in 
nets,  then  killed  by  pouring  boiling  water  or  vinegar  on  them, 
after  this  they  are  dried  in  the  sun  or  by  artificial  heat,  and  are 
then  ground  and  made  ready  for  use  in  practice. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  is  as  a  sweat  blister 
and  is  one  of  the  principal  ingredients  in  sweat  blisters  which  are 
used  for  sweating  thickenings  or  lumps  on  any  part  of  the  body^ 
that  are  not  on  the  bone,  such  as  curbs,  tumors,  thickening's  left 
after  a  wound  has  been  healed  up,  etc.  As  to  how  to  use- 
Powdered  Cantharides  see  the  receipt  for  sweat  blister  at  the 
back  of  this  book.  Cantharides  can  also  be  got  in  the  form  of 
a  tincture,  but  is  not  much  used.  The  proportion  to  use 
Powdered  Cantharides  for  a  sweat  blister  is,  1  to  2  drams  of 
the  Canthardies  to  an  ounce  of  vaseline  or  lard  according  to 
how  heavy  the  skin  of  the  horse  is.  For  cows  use  it  a  little 
stronger  than  for  the  horse. 

CARBOLIC  ACID. 

Carbolic  Acid  is  got  from  coal  tar  and  petroleum.  The  pure 
Carbolic  Acid  is  got  in  the  form  of  a  crystal,  but  the  wav  it  is 
generally  bought  is  in  the  form  of  a  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — it  has  a  very  cleansing  effect  on  a 
wound,  and  is  greatly  used  for  that  purpose  and  is  also  used  for 
fumigating  stables  by  sprinkling  a  little  around  on  the  floor.      It  is 


MEDICINES  AND  EECEIPTS.  373 

very  rarely,  if  ever  used  internally.  The  strength  Carbolic  Acid 
•should  be  used  in  bathings  a  wound  is  10  drops  to  half  a  pail  ol 
water  ;  for  a  lotion  use  20  drops  to  a  pint  of  water  ;  for  making 
Carbolic  Oil  use  25  drops  of  Carbolic  Acid  to  a  half  pint  of  olive 
or  sweet  oil,  that  is  about  two  or  three  drops  of  acid  to  the  ounce  of 
-oil.  It  is  a  mistake  to  put  too  much  acid  in  a  wash  or  lotion,  for 
instead  of  it  having-  a  cleansing-  effect  it  will  burn  the  wound  and 
stop  the  healing  action.  A  very  good  healing  salve  is  made  out 
of  5  drops  of  Carbolic  Acid  to  an  ounce  of  vaseline. 

CASTOR  OIL. 

Castor  Oil  is  got  from  the  seeds  of  a  shrubby  tree  that  grows 
in  Africa,  Southern  Europe,  and  South  America. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a"  mild  physic,  similar  to  raw  lin- 
-seed  oil.  It  is  not  much  used  for  horses  or  cattle,  but  is  some- 
times given  to  dogs,  pigs,  and  young  animals. 

Dose. — For   horses,    1    pint;    cattle,  1  pint;    sheep,    }^  pint; 

pigs  and  dogs,  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls.      In  horses  and  cattle  it 

takes  about  twenty-four  hours  to  operate  on  the  bowels,  while  in 

•sheep,  pigs  and  dogs  it  only  takes  about  twelve  hours  to  operate 

on  them.      The  best  way  to  give  Castor  Oil  to  pigs  and  dogs  is  to 

give  2  tablespoonfuls  every  night  and  morning  until  you  get  the 

action  required. 

CATECHU. 

Catechu  is  got  by  boiling  the  chips  from  a  tree  that  grows  in 
Africa  and  Southern  Asia.  The  form  that  it  is  mostly  used  in 
practice  is  known  as  Tincture  of  Catechu. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  acts  as  an  astringent  on  the  bowels 
for  diarrhoea.  Thus  it  is  used  in  cases  of  diarrhoea,  and  it  checks 
it  in  most  animals.  It  is  also  used  for  coloring  the  White  Lotion, 
and  a  few  drops  makes  it  a  nice  dark  color. 

Dose. — Tincture  of  Catechu — For  horses,  2  to  4  drams  or  2 
to  4  teaspoonfuls;  cattle,  4  to  6  drams  or  4  to  6  teaspoonfuls;  sheep, 
2  drams  or  2  teaspoonfuls;  pigs  and  dogs,  1  dram  or  1  teaspoonful. 
These  doses  may  be  given  in  gruel  or  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water 
three  or  four  times  a  day  until  the  diarrhoea  is  stopped. 

CALOMEL. 

Calomel  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is  prepared 
for  medicine  in  the  form  of  a  heavy  white  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. —  Its  chief  action  is  as  a  physic,  and  also 
.clears  the  bile  from  the  liver.      It  is  given  in  cases  of  jaundice  and 


374  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

other  liver  troubles.      It  is  also  used  for  drying  up  thrush  in  the  feet 
of  horses,  where  it  is  explained  how  to  use  it. 

Dose. — The  way  to  give  it  to  a  horse  is  to  combine  i  dram 
of  calomel  with  4  drams  of  bitter  aloes  and  give  it  in  the  form  oi 
a  ball.  For  how  to  mix  a  ball  look  among  the  receipts  at  the 
back  of  this  book.  For  cattle  give  1  dram  of  calomel  with  I 
pint  of  raw  linseed  oil. 

CROTON  OIL. 

Croton  Oil  is  got  from  the  seeds  of  a  tree  that  grows  in  the 
southern  parts  of  Asia. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  very  severe  physic  when  given 
internally.  It  is  sometirnes  given  to  cattle  and  horses  when  the 
bowels  are  stopped  and  you  cannot  get  a  passage,  but  is  never 
given  until  all  the  milder  physic  medicines  fail. 

Dose.  —  For  horses,  15  to  20   drops;  cattle,    30   to   40   drops; 

sheep,  5  to  10  drops;  pigs  and  dogs,   2  to  3  drops.      For  horses 

and  cattle,  give  it  in  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil;   for  sheep,  give  in  a 

half  a  pint  of  oil,  and  for  pigs  and  dogs,  give  it  in  two  tablespoon- 

fuls  of  castor  oil. 

CHLORATE  OF  POTASH. 

Chlorate  of  Potash  is  got  from  mixing  other  medicines  to- 
gether, and  is  bought  in  the  form  of  crystals  or  in  a  white  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  principal  action  is  to  thicken  the 
blood  in  diseases  where  the  blood  is  too  thin,  such  as  in  button 
farcy.      It  is  also  very  soothing  in  cases  of  sore  throat. 

Dose. — For  horses,  2  to  4  drams  or  1  teaspoonful;  cattle,  2  to 
4  drams  or  1  teaspoonful;  sheep,  1  dram  or  h  teaspoonful;  pigs 
and  dogs,  ^  dram.  The  way  it  is  used  for  sore  throat  is  to  put 
a  teaspoonful  on  the  tongue  three  times  a  day. 

CAUSTIC  POTASH. 

Caustic  Potash  is  got  from  pearl  ashes.  It  is  put  up  in  white 
pencil-like  sticks. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  never  given  internally,  but 
is  used  to  burn  warts  and  growths  by  wetting  the  stick  and  rub- 
bing it  over  them.  It  is  also  used  for  burning  poisonous  wounds 
to  kill  thfe  poison,  such  as  dog  bites.  The  sticks  must  be  kept 
in  a  corked  bottle,  for  the  air  dissolves  them.  While  using 
the  stick  wrap  a  piece  of  paper  around  the  end  you  hold  in  your 
hand  so  it  will  not  burn  j'our  fingers. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS.  375 

CHLORIDE  OF  ZINC. 

Chloride  of  Zinc  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  This 
medicine  is  generally  bought  in  the  form  of  round  white  pencil- 
HWj»  TVftt 

lis  Action  and  Use. — -Its  principal  action  is  as  a  powerful 
caustic  for  burning  off  growths,  warts,  etc.  It  is  not  used  in- 
ternally. 

CREOLIN. 

Creolin  is  one  of  the  many  products  of  coal  tar  which  is  got 
from  the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is  bought  in  the  form  of  a  thick, 
dark  fluid  and  smells  like  tar. 

Its  Action  and  Use.— It  is  used  in  the  form  of  healing  lotions 
for  wounds,  scratches,  grease  and  such  like  diseases.  The 
strength  to  use  it  in  the  form  of  a  lotion  is  ^  ounce  or  i  table- 
spoonful  to  the  pint  of  water,  shake  well  before  using.  It  is  also 
a  very  effectual  remedy  for  killing  lice,  ticks  or  fleas  on  any 
animal;  also  used  in  mange  and  scab  in  sheep;  the  strength  to  use 
it  in  cases  of  this  kind  is  5^  to  i  ounce  or  from  2  to  4  tablespoon- 
fuls  to  the  pint  of  water,  shake  well  before  using.  Creolin  is  a 
very  cheap  medicine,  it  is  used  a  great  deal  now  and  is  siill  gaining 
in  favor.  It  is  best  to  buy  the  Creolin  in  its  pure  state  and  mix  it 
into  washes  and  lotion  as  you  want  to  use  it,  for  when  it  is  mixed 
with  water  for  some  time  it  loses  its  strength,  so  you  see  the 
necessity  of  buying  it  in  its  pure  state   and   mixing  it  as  you  want 

to  use  it. 

CRUDE  PETROLEUM  OIL. 

Crude  Petroleum  Oil  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom  and  is 
the  oil  as  it  comes  out  of  the  ground. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  principally  used  for  oiling  horses' 
feet  in  the  form  of  hoof  oils;  it  is  also  a  great  remedy  for  killing 
ringworm  on  cattle,  horses  and  other  animals;  the  way  to  use  it  in 
cases  of  this  kind  is  to  paint  it  around  the  ringworm;  it  is  a  very 
cheap  and  efTectual  remedy.      See  ringworm  on  cattle. 

DIGITALIS. 

Digitalis  is  got  from  the  leaves  of  a  plant  that  grows  in  many 
parts  of  the  country.  The  leaves  are  dried  and  ground,  and  this 
is  the  form  we  buy  it  in. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  heart  and  lung  tonic.  It  is  used 
mostly  mixed  in  powders  that  are  given  in  weakening  diseases, 
such  as  influenza,  distemper,  and  lung  troubles.  It  is  also  some- 
times mixed  in  powders  that  ai  e  given  for  heaves. 


376  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

GAMBOGE. 

Lramboge  is  got  from  the  sap  ot  a  tree  that  grows  in  Southern 
Asia.  The  form  gamboge  is  used  in  is  a  yellow-white 
powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — it  is  a  powerful  physic,  mostly  used  for 
cattle  where  mild  physics,  such  as  salts  and  linseed  oil,  fail. 
In  giving  it  to  cattle  it  is  combined  with  other  medicines  in 
this  form : 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Common  Salt 2  tablespoonf uls. 

Gamboge 1  ounce. 

Common  Soda  and  Ginger 1  tablespoonf ul  each. 

Mix  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water.  By  giving  it  this  way  it 
makes  a  powerful  physic;  it  very  rarely  fails,  and  is  used  in  bad 
cases  of  constipation  of  the  bowels  and  impactions  of  the 
stomach. 

GENTIAN. 

Gentian  is  got  from  the  root  of  a  plant  that  grows  in  the 
mountainous  parts  of  Europe.  The  root  is  dried  and  ground,  and 
this  is  the  form  it  is  used  in. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  bitter  tonic  for  the  stomach  and 
system  in  general.  It  is  used  in  all  kinds  of  powders  that  are 
given  to  animals  that  are  weak  and  run  down  in  condition  and 
require  a  ton  c. 

Dose. — For  horses,   1  tablespoonful  ;   cattle,    1  tablespoonful ; 

sheep,    1    teaspoonful;     pigs    and    dogs,    14    teaspoonful.       These 

doses    may   be    given   twice   a  day   in  food    or    on    their    tongue 

with  a  spoon. 

GINGER. 

Ginger  is  got  from  a  plant  grown  in  South  America  and  the 
West  India  Islands.  The  plant  is  dried  and  ground,  and  this  is 
the  form  it  is  used  in. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  acts  as  a  stimulant,  relieves  the 
.■^■asses  and  sweetens  the  stomach,  and  is  used  to  a  great  extent 
■'/ith  physic  drenches  to  keep  it  from  griping;  and  is  also  used  in 
jiiedicines  used  for  colic,  indigestion  and  a  great  many  other 
^liseases. 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  large  teaspoonful ;  cattle,  1  tablespoon- 
ful;  sheep,  1  small  teaspoonful;  pigs  and  dogs,  }4  teaspoonful. 
These  doses  can  be  given  every  two  or  three  hours. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS.  377 

HYPOSULPHITE  OF  SODA. 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  and 
is  used  in  the  form  of  a  white  powder  or  crystals. 

Its  Action  and  Use.— It  is  a  great  blood  purifier  and  is 
combined  with  equal  parts  of  gentian,  and  is  used  to  clean  the 
blood  and  build  up  the  system  after  weakening  diseases.  The 
way  to  use  it  is  to  take  hyposulphite  of  soda  one-half  pound  and 
gentian  one-half  pound,  mix  well  together  and  give  of  the  ^mixture 
as  follows: 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  tablespoonful;  cattle,  1  tablespoonful; 
sheep,  1  teaspoonful;  pigs  and  dogs,  ^  teaspoonful.  The  above 
dose  can  be  given  two  or  three  times  a  day  according  to  the  case. 

IODINE. 

Iodine  is  got  from  sea  plants,  and  is  used  in  the  form  of  a 
dark  brown  tincture. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  often  used  internally,  but  is 
used  externally  for  a  sweat  blister,  for  blistering  thickened  glands 
by  painting  it  on  the  lump  with  a  feather  once  a  day  until  it 
blisters,  then  grease  the  parts  and  let  it  go  for  two  or  three  days 
until  it  heals  up,  then  wash  it  off  with  luke  warm  water  and  soap 
and  blister  again  as  before  mentioned. 

IODIDE  OF  POTASSIUM. 

Iodide  of  Potassium  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  and  is 
used  in  the  form  of  a  white  crystal  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action,  when  given  internally, 
is  an  absorbant,  i.  e.,  it  is  given  in  dropsy  of  the  belly  and  chest 
to  absorb  the  fluid ;  it  is  also  used  where  there  is  a  thickening 
around  the  throat,  legs  or  milk  glands;  but  is  not  used  to  any 
great  extent  on  account  of  it  being  very  expensive. 

Dose. — Mix  it  with  equal  parts  of  ground  gentian  root  and  give 

a  teaspoonful  to  a  cow  or  horse  twice  a  day;  one-half  teaspoonful 

to  other  animals. 

LIME. 

Lime  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  Internally  it  is  used 
in  the  form  of  lime  water,  and  is  used  where  the  stomach  is 
deranged,  also  in  cases  of  diarrhoea,  and  is  a  good  thing  to 
sweeten  the  stomach. 

Doses. — For  horses,  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls;  cattle,  1 
ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls;  sheep,  }(  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful; 
pigs  and  dogs,  1  teaspoonful.      Lime  water  is  sometimes  used  for 


378  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

heavy  horses  by  throwing  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls  into  theit 
drinking  water  twice  a  day,  Unslacked  lime  is  used  for  disin- 
fecting stables,  etc. ,  by  dusting  it  in  its  dry  form  around  on  the  floor. 

LINSEED. 

Linseed  is  used  mostly  in  the  forms  of  linseed  meal  and  raw 
linseed  oil,  which  is  got  from  flax  seed. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Raw  linseed  oil  is  given  as  a  very  mild 
physic,  or  what  is  called  a  laxative.  The  dose  of  the  oil  is  one 
pint  poured  down  as  a  drench.  In  all  cases,  after  giving  it  to  a 
horse  or  cow,  allow  them  to  stand  in  the  stable  the  next  day  and 
feed  light  for  a  few  days.  Linseed  meal  is  used  mostly,  when 
given  internally,  for  fattening  cattle  and  for  animals  recovering 
from  weakening  diseases;  but  the  flax  seed  itself  boiled  up  is 
better  for  feeding  yoimg  and  sickly  animals  than  the  linseed  meal. 
Linseed  meal  is  also  used  for  drawing  poultices,  and  is  one  of  the  best 
that  can  be  got,  and  should  always  be  mixed  with  boiling  water. 

LAUDANUM. 

Laudanum  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  tincture,  and  is  a  prepara- 
tion from  opium,  which  is  got  from  a  plant  that  grows  in  warm 
parts  of  Asia. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  sometimes  used  externally  for  rub- 
bing on  painful  swellings.  In  using  it  this  way  use  one-third 
tincture  of  laudanum  and  two-thirds  white  liniment,  apply  three 
times  a  day  after  bathing.  It  is  used  internally  in  almost  every 
disease  where  there  is  pain  (which  can  be  seen  by  looking  through 
the  diseases  and  treatment  of  this  book),  it  relieves  pain  and  spasms, 
and  in  this  way  helps  greatly  to  check  inflammation. 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  to  2  ounces  or  4  to  8  tablespoonfuls  ; 
cattle,  1  to  2  ounces  or  4  to  8  tablespoonfuls  ;  sheep  and  pigs, 
2  to  4  drams  or  2  to  4  teaspoonfuls;  dogs,  20  to  25  drops.  It  is 
given  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  as  a  drench,  and  may  be  given 
as  often  as  every  two  hours  in  severe  cases. 

MONSELL'S  SOLUTION  OF  IRON. 

Monsell's  Solution  is  a  preparation  of  iron  which  is  got  from 
the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  brown, 
sticky  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  is  for  stopping  blood  in 
a  wound  of  any  kind,  and  also  for  scabbing  the  wound  over.  It 
is  a  great  remedy  for  open  joint  and  leaking  of  the  navel  in  foals- 
It  is  applied  to  the  parts  with  a  feather  four  or   five  times  a  day^ 


MEDICINES  AND  EECEIPTS.  379 

MARSHMALLOWS. 

Marshmallows  is  gfot  from  a  plant  that  grows  in  this  country, 
generally  in  the  neighborhood  of  rivers. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  chiefly  used  in  poultice,  mixed  half 
and  half  with  linseed  meal.  It  makes  one  of  the  most  effectual 
drawing  and  soothing  poultices  there  is.  It  is  also  used  when 
boiled,  the  tea  from  it  is  mixed  with  luke  warm  water  for  bath- 
ing" the  milk-bag,  for  garget,  milk-fever,  etc. ;  it  also  makes  a 
very  soothing"  bath  for  sore  or  irritated  wounds  or  swelling".  Use 
one  teacupful  of  the  tea  to  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water. 

MUSTARD. 

Mustard  is  got  from  a  plant  which  grows  in  most  parts  of 
Europe.  The  seeds  are  dried  and  ground,  and  this  is  the  form  we 
use  it  in. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  chiefly  used  for  mustard  plasters 
which  are  applied  over  the  bowels  in  severe  cases  of  colic  or  in- 
flammation to  relieve  the  pain  and  check  the  inflammation;  also  in 
lung  troubles,  applied  over  the  ribs  and  chest,  and  also  the  back  in 
disease  of  the  kidneys,  and  around  the  throat  for  sore  throat. 
To  make  a  mustard  plaster  of  ordinary  strength  for  a  thin-skinned 
horse  take  a  quarter  of  a  pound  o/mustard,  two  tablespoonfuls  of 
flour  and  enough  vinegar  to  make  it  in  the  form  of  a  paste.  In 
very  severe  cases  use  the  mustard  and  vinegar  without  the  flour 
on  cattle  and  horses  with  a  very  thick  skin.  Instead  of  applying- 
it  to  an  animal  with  a  cloth  just  rub  it  into  the  hair  over  the  parts 

you  want  blistered. 

NUX  VOMICA. 

Nux  Nomica  is  got  from  the  seeds  of  a  small  tree  that  gfrows 
in  India  and  Australia.  These  seeds  are  dried  and  ground,  and  it 
is  used  in  this  powdered  form. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  nerve  stimulant,  and  is  used  in 
all  cases  of  paralysis  where  the  nerves  have  lost  their  power  to 
strengthen  them.  The  way  to  use  it  is  to  take  equal  parts  of 
gentian  and  powdered  Nux  Vomica,  mix  thoroug"hly,  and  as  a 
dose  for  horses  and  cattle  give  one  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day 
in  the  feed  or  on  their  tongues  with  a  spoon;  for  sheep,  pigs  or 
dogs  g"ive  one-half  teaspoonful. 

NITRATE  OF  SILVER. 

Nitrate  of  Silver  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  and  is 
used  in  the  form  of  white  pencil  sticks. 


580  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Its  Action  and  Use. —  It  is  used  for  burnings  off  warts,  proud 
flesh  in  cuts  and  growths  in  any  part  of  the  body  by  just  wetting 
the  stick  and  rubbing  it  to  the  parts.  Keep  the  sticks  corked  in 
a  bottle  for  they  dissolve  when  exposed  to  the  air. 

NITRATE  OF  POTASH  OR  SALTPETRE. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre  is  got  from  the  mineral  king- 
dom, and  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  white  crystal  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  is  on  the  kidneys  and 
blood,  it  causes  the  kidneys  to  secrete  an  extra  amount  of  urine. 
It  is  used  a  great  deal  in  practice  in  almost  all  lung  troubles,  also 
in  cases  where  the  blood  is  bad  and  where  the  sheath  and  legs  are 
swolen. 

Dose. — For    horses,    1     teaspoonful  ;    cattle,    1    teaspoonful ; 

sheep    and    pigs,  ^  teaspoonful.      If  given  for  the  kidneys,    give 

■once  a  day  ;   if  for    lung    troubles,  see    diseases  of   the    breathing 

organs. 

OLIVE  OIL. 

Olive  Oil  is  got  from  the  seeds  of  an  evergreen  tree  that 
grows  in  Southern  Europe. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  used  internally  to  any  extent, 
but  is  used  externally  for  soothing  and  healing  irritated  wounds. 
It  may  be  used  in  its  pure  state  or  be  mixed  with  carbolic  acid — 
10  drops  of  carbolic  acid  to  4  ounces  of  olive  oil. 

OIL  OF  TAR. 

Oil  of  Tar  is  a  product  of  the  pine  tree,  and  the  form  it  is 
used  in  is  of  a  dark,  thick,  sticky  liquid  with  a  tar-like  smell. 

Its  Action  and  Use.— It  is  chiefly  used  in  cases  of  chronic 
cough  and  is  a  very  effectual  remedy.  Give  a  teaspoonful  three 
times  a  day  in  the  horse's  feed,  or  on  his  tongue  with  a  spoon. 

OXIDE  OF  ZINC. 

Oxide  of  Zinc  is  got  Irom  the  mineral  kingdom,  and  the  form 
we  get  it  in  is  of  a  white,  fine  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  mostly  used  in  making  up  healing 
salves,  and  is  used  in  the  same  proportion  as  the  receipt  that  is 
given  in  chapped  or  sore  teats  in  cows. 

OIL  OF  MALE  SHIELD  FERN. 
Oil  of  Male  Shield  Fern    is    got    from    a    shrub    that    usually 
grows  along  the  side  of  the  road  in  most  temperate  countries.      It 
is  got  in  the  form  of  a  dark,  thick,  oily  liquid. 


MEDICINES  AND  EECEIPTS.  381 

Its  Action  anJ  Use.  —  This  medicine  is  a  most  effectual 
remedy   tor   worms,   especially   tapeworms,    in  all  animals. 

Dose. —  For  horses,  3  to  4  drams;  cattle,  3  to  4  drams; 
sheep  and  pig's,  1  to  '2  drams;  dog's,  ^  to  1  dram.  In  giving  it  to 
cattle  and  horses  have  them  starved  for  twenty-four  hours,  then 
give  the  above  mentioned  dose  mixed  in  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil 
or  gruel;  feed  very  light  for  three  days,  and  if  the  worm  has  not 
come  away  repeat  the  dose  every  third  day  until  it  does.  Jn 
giving  it  to  sheep  and  pigs,  give  it  in  the  same  manner,  only  in 
half  the  quantity  mentioned  of  raw  linseed  oil  or  gruel.  In  giving 
it  to  dogs,  give  it  in  half  a  teacupful  of  new  milk,  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  lor  horses  and  cattle.  For  further  particulars  how  to  use 
it  look  at  tapeworm  in  the  different  animals. 

PEPPER. 

Black  pepper,  which  is  the  kind  mostly  used  for  animals,  is 
got  from  the  berries  of  a  climbing  plant  that  grows  in  the  West 
Indies. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  I«  used  internally  as  a  stomacli 
stimulant  to  heat  the  stomach  and  bowels,  and  in  this  way  helps 
to  relieve  the  pain  in  colic,  indigestion,  etc. 

Dose. —  Fo  horses,  1  tablespoonful  .  cattle,  i  tablespoonful  ; 
sheep  and  pigo»,  I  teaspoonfui  .  dogs.  ^  teaspoonful.  In  mixing 
up  this  drench  it  is  often  combined  with  whisky,  and  makes  a 
good  colic  drench. 

OUASSIi^  CHIPS. 

Quassia  Chips  are  got  from  y  handsome  tree  that  grows  in 
the  West  India  Islands.      It  is  odorless  but  bitter  to  taste. 

Its  Action  and  Use.— It  i^  used  mostly  as  an  injection  for 
pinworms.  To  prepare  it  tor  injection  refer  lo  pinworms 
in  horses. 

SULPHURIC  ACID. 

Sulphuric  Acid  is  a  product  of  the  mineral  kingdom,  and  is 
got  in  the  form  of  a  light  brown  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — At  one  time  it  was  used  a  great  deal  as 
a  caustic  for  burning  warts,  etc.,  but  is  not  so  much  used  now  as 
it  is  too  irritating,  its  place  being  taken  by  better  caustics,  such 
as  chloride  of  zinc,  nitrate  of  silver  and  caustic  potash.  It  is  used 
externally  in  the  form  of  liniments.  How  to  mix  and  use  it,  refer 
to  the  receipt  for  acid  liniment  in  the  back  of  this  book. 


882  THE  VETEEINAKY  SCIENCE. 

SULPHURIC  ETHER. 

Sulphuric  Ether  is  prepared  from  sulphuric  acid  and  rectified 
spirits  of  alcohol,  and  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  clear  liquid  with  a 
very  strong-  odor. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  used  a  great  deal  for  putting- 
animals  asleep  for  operations,  especially  for  dogs.  As  to  how  to 
use  it,  refer  to  "how  to  spay  a  bitch."  It  is  sometimes  given  for 
indigestion  or  colic,  both  in  horses  and  cattle,  to  relieve  the  pain 
and  gases. 

Dose. — For  horses  and  cattle,  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls 
mixed  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water,  and  can  be  given  every  two 
hours.     Where  the  pain  is  severe,  it  is  a  very  effectual  remedy. 

SULPHATE  OF  COPPER. 

Sulphate  of  Copper,  blue  vitriol  or  blue  stone  is  got  from  the 
mineral  kingdom,  and  is  got  in  a  blue  crystal  form. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  when  given    internally 

is  for  checking  discharges,  such  as  nasal   gleet  or  chronic  catarrh, 

and  whites  or  leucorrhoea.     When  used  for  this  purpose,  refer  to 

the  receipt   to  be  used    internally  in  the  above  named  diseases. 

When  used  externally,  it  is  used  for  wounds  that  are  not  healing 

well  and  have  proud  flesh  in    them  by  grinding  it  fine  and  dusting 

it  on  the  wound  every  two  or  three  days  according  to  how  much 

it  burns  it. 

SULPHATE  OF  IRON. 

Sulphate  of  Iron,  or  commonly  called  green  vitriol,  is  got  from 
the  mineral  kingdom,  and  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  crystal,  similar 
to  sulphate  of  copper,  only  of  a  lighter  shade  in  color. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  one  of  the  best  mineral  tonics  that 

we  have,  and  is  used  combined  with  gentian,  in  equal  parts,  for 

almost  every   case    where    the    system    is    run   down    and    needs 

building  up.      For    horses    and    cattle  give    a    teaspoonful    three 

times   a  day;    for  sheep  and   pigs   give  one-half   a    teaspoonful. 

It  is  also  used  in  the   same  form   for  killing   long  round  worms 

and  pinworms  in  horses.      For  full  directions  as  to  how  to  use  it  in 

this  case  refer  to  the  receipt  of  worm  powders  given  at  the  back 

of  this  book. 

SULPHATE  OF  ZINC. 

Sulphate  of  Zinc  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is 
used  in  the  form  of  a  white  crystal  powder,  and  resembles  Epsom 
salts  in  appearance. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS.  383 

Its  Action  and  Use. — When  used  internally  it  is  in  the  torm 
of  an  emetic  that  is  to  cause  vomiting-.  As  to  how  it  is  used 
refer  to  "dogs  poisoned  with  rat  poison,  strychnine  and  arsenic." 
When  used  externally  it  has  a  healing  action.  How  to  use  it, 
refer  to  the  receipt  of  white  lotion  at  the  back  of  this  book.  It  is 
also  used  as  a  drying  wash  for  clap  or  gonorrhoea  in  horses 
and  whites  in  mares.      As  to  how  to  mix  it  refer  to  those  diseases. 

SUGAR  OF  LEAD. 

Sugar  of  Lead,  also  called  Acetate  of  Lead,  is  got  from  the 
mineral  kingfdom. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  much  used  internally,  but  is  used 
outwardly  for  healing  washes,  such  as  white  lotion  and  eye  wash, 
which  are  fully  explained  at  the  back  of  this  book. 

SALICYLIC  ACID. 

Salicylic  Acid  is  got  from  a  plant.  It  is  used  in  the  form  of 
a  white  powder. 

its  Action  and  Use. — It  has  a  special  action  in  cases  of 
rheumatism.  As  to  how  to  use  it,  refer  to  the  receipt  given  for 
rheumatism  in  horses  and  cattle. 

SALT. 

Common  Salt  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  an  essential  article  of  food,  and 
something  every  animal  should  have  regularly.  Horses,  cattle, 
sheep  and  pigs  should  have  it  in  front  of  them  all  the  time  for,  it 
should  be  remembered,  stock  cannot  thrive  well  without  it.  Rock 
salt  is  the  best  form  in  which  to  have  it  as  the  animals  can  lick  it 
whenever  they  want  it.  It  is  used  externally  by  throwing  a  hand- 
ful of  salt  in  a  pail  of  luke  warm  water,  and  in  this  form  it  makes 
a  very  effectual  wash  for  bathing  swellings  and  wounds. 

SWEET  SPIRITS  OF  NITRE. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre,  or  Nitrous  Ether,  is  chiefly  a  prepara- 
tion of  alcohol.  It  is  got  in  the  form  of  a  clear  liquid  which  has 
a  sweet  taste  and  smell. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — In  small  doses  it  acts  on  the  kidneys 
and  skin.  For  this  purpose  give  horses  and  cattle  a  quarter  of  an 
ounce  or  one  tablespoonful  in  drinking  water  once  a  day.  For 
sheep,  pigs  and  dogs  give  a  teaspoonful  in  their  drinking  water  or 
food  onc9  a  day.  In  large  doses  it  acts  on  the  bowels  and 
stomach  to  relieve  pain  and  gases.  Thus  it  is  good  in  the  differ- 
ent forms  of  indisrestion  and  colic. 


384  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls;  cattle,  1 
ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls  ;  sheep,  -^  ounce  or  2  tablespoonfuls  ;, 
pigs  and  dogs,  ^  ounce  or  1  tablespoonful.  Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke 
warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench.  For  how  often  to  give  it  refer 
to  the  different  diseases  it  is  used  in.  This  is  a  medicine  that  is 
used  a  great  deal  in  practice,  as  you  will  see  all  through  the  book, 
and  should  be  thoroughly  understood. 

SPIRITS  OF  TURPENTINE. 

Spirits  of  Turpentine,  also  called  Oil  of  Turpentine,  is  got 
from  a  tree.      It  is  used  in  the  form  of  a  clear,  oily  looking  liquid. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Internally  for  horses  and  cattle  it  is 
used  in  one  ounce  or  four  tablespoonful  doses  mixed  with  a  pint  of 
raw  linseed  oil  in  severe  cases  of  acute  indigestion  and  colic  to  re- 
lieve the  pain  and  gases;  it  is  also  used  in  this  proportion  for 
killing  the  long  round  worms  and  bots  in  horses.  For  further 
particulars  turn  to  bots  and  long  round  worms  in  horses  and 
other  diseases  it  is  used  in.  Internally  for  sheep  and  pigs  the  dose 
of  turpentine  is  one-quarter  of  an  ounce  or  one  tablespoonful 
mixed  with  half  a  pint  of  raw  linseed  oil.  It  is  used  for  the  same 
purposes  as  it  is  in  horses  and  cattle.  Outwardly  it  is  used  for 
making  liniments,  and  for  how  to  use  it  refer  to  the  receipts  for 
making  white  linement  and  acid  liniments  at  the  back  of  this  book. 

SALTS. 

Salts  are  used  in  two  forms,  Epsom  and  Glober.  Both  kinds 
are  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom,  and  are  in  a  white  crystal  form. 

EPSOM    SALTS. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Its  chief  action  is  as  a  physic  for  cattle, 
sheep  and  pigs,  and  is  used  to  a  great  extent,  as  you  will  notice 
on  reading  the  treatment  of  the  above  mentioned  animals. 
Although  salts  is  a  good  physic  it  should  not  be  given  to  horses, 
aloes  being  far  the  best  physic  for  them. 

Dose. — Cattle  take  from  one  pound  to  one  and  one-half 
pounds  dissolved  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  with  a  tablespoon- 
ful each  of  ginger  and  common  soda  and  given  as  a  drench.  This 
physic  takes  twenty-four  hours  to  operate  on  the  bowels.  It  is 
alway*  best  after  giving  a  dose  to  wait  twenty-four  hours  for  an 
action  before  giving  any  more.  Sheep  and  pigs  take  one-quarter 
of  a  pound  dissolved  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  with  a  tea- 
spoonful  each  of  ginger  and  common  soda  and  given  as  a  drench. 


MEDICINES  AND  EECEIPTS.  385 

Wait  from  twelve  to  sixteen  hours  for  an  action  on  the  bowels  be- 
fore giving"  any  more. 

GLOBER    SALTS. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  so  much  used  as  the  Epsom 
Salts,  but  is  used  in  horses  and  cattle  for  their  blood  by  grinding 
it  up  fine  and  giving  a  tablespoonful  in  a  hot  mash  every  night. 

SULPHUR. 

Sulphur,  or  Brimstone,  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom. 
It  is  used  in  a  yellow  powdered  form. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  a  great  medicine,  when  given 
internally,  to  act  on  the  blood  and  clear  it.  It  also  acts  on  the 
skin  and  helps  to  kill  parasites  or  germs  in  the  skin,  thus  it  is 
good  in  mange  and  other  skin  diseases. 

Dose. — For  horses,  1  tablespoonful;  cattle,  1  tablespoonful; 
sheep,  1  teaspoonful;  pigs  and  dogs,  1  teaspodnful.  Give  every 
night  in  a  hot  mash  or  soft  food;  but  it  is  best  given  combined 
with  gentian  root  and  nitrate  of  potash  or  saltpetre  as  is  explained, 
in  the  treatment  of  swelling  of  the  limbs  (anasarca)  in  horses. 

VASELINE. 

Vaseline  is  got  from  the  mineral  kingdom  and  is  used  in  the 
form  of  a  yellow  salve. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — Vaseline  has  a  very  healing  and  sooth- 
ing action  on  wounds  or  irritated  parts,  and  is  used  in  nearly  all 
kinds  of  healing  salves,  also  for  mixing  blisters,  etc. 

VERDIGRIS. 

Verdigris  is  a  preparation  got  from  the  copper  salts,  and 
comes  from  the  mineral  kingdom.  It  is  used  in  the  form  of  a 
blue,  fine,  heavy  powder. 

Its  Action  and  Use. — It  is  not  much  used  now  internally,  as 
sulphate  of  iron  and  copper  take  its  place.  It  is  used  for  making 
up  healing  salves  for  wounds,  etc.  For  how  to  use  it  see  the 
receipt  for  green  salve. 


386  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

CHAPTER  II. 

RECEIPTS. 

WHITE  LINIMENT. 

Proportions  to  make  one  quart  of  the  liniment.  Use  either  a 
quart  bottle  or  a  quart  self-sealer  to  mix  it  in: 

First. — Put  in  one-half  pint  of  hard  water. 

Second. — Put  in  two  ounces  or  eight  tablespoonfuls  of  spirits 
of  turpentine  and  shake  thoroughly  for  five  minutes. 

Third. — Beat  up  one  hen  egg  and  put  it  in  and  shake 
thoroughly  for  five  minutes. 

Fourth. — Put  in  two  ounces  or  eight  tablespoonfuls  of 
methylated  spirits  of  alcohol  and  shake  thoroughly  for  five 
minutes. 

Fifth. — Put  in  two  ounces  or  eight  tablespoonfuls  of  strong 
liquor  ammonia  and  shake  thoroughly  for  five  minutes. 

Sixth. — Put  in  enough  hard  water  to  make  up  a  quart,  then 
shake  thoroughly  and  the  liniment  is  ready  for  use. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  effectual  remedies  known  for  all  kinds 
of  sprains  and  bruises  where  the  %kin  is  not  broken.  The  longer 
this  liniment  stands  (if  the  bottle  is  kept  corked)  the  stronger 
and  better  it  gets  for  using.  For  making  larger  or  smaller  quan- 
tities of  the  liniment  add  to  or  take  from  the  proportions  given 

for  one  quart. 

WHITE  LOTION. 

Proportions  to  make  up  one  quart  of  White  Lotion.  Use 
either  a  quart  bottle  or  a  quart  self-sealer  to  mix  it  in. 

Put  in  one-half  ounce  of  each  of  the  following:  Sulphate  of 
zinc,  sugar  of  lead  and  pulverized  alum,  add  enough  water  to 
make  a  quart  and  shake  thoroughly. 

This  makes  a  most  effectual  lotion  for  healing  all  kinds  of 
wounds  and  bruises  where  the  skin  is  broken,  also  where  the  skin 
is  irritated,  such  as  scratches,  grease,  etc. 

ACID  LINIMENT. 
Persons  getting  this  liniment  that  are  not  experienced  in 
handling  drugs  had  better  get  the  druggist  to  mix  it  for  them,  as 
it  is  a  little  dangerous  mixing  the  sulphuric  acid  with  other  drugs, 
and  it  requires  to  be  carefully  handled.  The  following  are  the  pro- 
portions for  one  quart  which  is  best  mixed  in  a  quart  bottle  or  a 
quart  self-sealer: 


MEDICINES  AND  EECEIPTS.  387 

First. — Put  in  two  ounces  or  eight  tablespoonfuls  of  spirits 
of  turpentine. 

Second. — Put  in  one-half  ounce  of  sulphuric  acid;  pour  this 
very  slowly  into  the  bottle  by  letting"  it  run  down  the  inside  of  the 
bottle  which  is  better  turned  sideways.  Take  about  five  minutes 
to  pour  it  in. 

Third. — Pour  slowly  into  the  bottle  two  ounces  or  eight 
tablespoonfuls  of  methylated  spirits  of  alcohol. 

Fourth. — Pour  in  enough  cider  vinegar  to  make  a  quart, 
then  shake  well  and  it  is  ready  for  use. 

It  is  a  most  effectual  sweat  blister  for  removing  puffy  en- 
largements, such  as  bog  spavin,  wind  galls,  thoroughpins  and 
other  puffy  swellings  around  the  legs,  by  applying  it  every  third 
day.  It  is  also  an  effectual  remedy  tor  sweeny,  curbs,  etc.,  where 
you  want  to  work  the  horse.  This  is  also  an  effectual  remedy  for 
rheumatism  by  rubbing  the  affected  joints  every  third  day.  It  is 
also*  used   in  various  other  ways  as  you  will  notice  through  the 

book. 

CRE(»p  LOTION. 

The  following  proporti<MN«ire  for  one  pint  of  Creolin  Lotion : 

First. — Pour  in  one-tjuaiter  ounce  or  one  tablespoonful  of 
creolin  into  a  pint  bottle.  ^ 

Second. — Pour  in  enough  hard  water  to  make  a  pint,  shake 
well  and  then  it  is  ready  for  use. 

This  makes  an  excellent  healing  lotion  for  wounds,  and  by 
making  it  double  strength  it  makes  a  most  effectual  wash  for  de- 
stroying germs,  parasites,  lice  or  ticks  on  all  animals.  It  is  used 
in  various  other  places  as  you  may  see  in  this  book. 

EYE  WASH. 

The  following  proportions  are  to  make  an  eight-ounce  bottle 

of  eye  wash: 

Sulphate  of  Zino ^  dram. 

Sugar  of  Lead |     " 

Fluid  Extract  of  Belladonna 30  drops. 

Add  enough  hard  water  to  make-  eight  ounces,  shake  thor- 
oughly and  the  wash  is  ready  for  use. 

This  makes  a  very  cheap  and  effectual  wash  for  sore  eyes,  or 
sores  around  the  eyes  in  all  kinds  of  animals  by  applying  twice  a 
-day  after  bathing  with  luke  warm  water  or  new  milk. 


^■"    Skh 


388  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE.  ^ 

CARBOLIC  OIL.  >-^    X^^     ^     . 

The  following  proportions  are  for  a  four-ounce  bottle:  ^  ^-'"'^ 

Olive  or  Sweet  Oil 4  ounces.  ^A.j4    '' 

Carbolic  Acid 20  drops.  *-^^."X^ 

Shake  well  together   and   this   makes   a   splendid   application 

for  healing  wounds. 

PHYSIC  DRENCH  FOR  HORSES. 

Bitter  Aloes   8  drams. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger *. 1         " 

Dissolve  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench, 
always  allowing  the  horse  to  stand  in  the  stable  a  day  after 
giving  it. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  physics  known  to  clean  out  a  horse's 
stomach  and  bowels,  and  also  to  purify  his  blood. 

PHYSIC  DRENCH  FOR  CATTLE. 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Brown  Sugar \  pound. 

Common  Salt 2  tablespoonfuls. 

(ringer 1  " 

Common  Soda 1  " 

Dissolve  in  a  quart  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench. 
This  makes  a  good  general  physic  for  a  cow  that  is  not  thriv- 
ing well. 

PHYSIC  BALL  FOR  HORSES. 

This  contains  the  same  ingredients  as  the  physic  drench,  only 
it  is  prepared  in  a  different  way,  as  follows  : 

First. — Grind  up  eight  drams  of  bitter  aloes  good  and  fine. 

Second. — Add  a  few  drops  of  water  to  make  it  sticky  when 
rolled. 

Third. — Roll  it  in  a  teaspoonful  of  ginger  into  the  form  of  a 
long  ball,  so  it  will  be  about  one-half  inch  in  diameter  and  two  or 
three  inches  long. 

Fourth. — Roll  it  neatly  in  a  piece  of  paper,  and  before  giving 
it  to  the  horse  oil  the  paper,  so  it  will  slip  down  easily;  shove  it 
well  back  into  the  mouth  and  hold  the  horse's  head  up  until  he 
swallows  it.  The  action  of  this  ball  is  the  same  as  the  action  of 
the  physic  drench. 

BALL  TO  ACT  ON  THE  LIVER  AND  WORMS. 

First. — Grind  up  four  drams  of  bitter  aloes,  moisten  it  and 
roll  it  into  the  form  of  a  ball. 

Second. — Make  a  hole  in  the  end  of  the  bair  and  drop  in 
one-half  dram  of  calomel,  wrap  it  in  paper,  oil  the  paper  and  give 
it  as  you  would  a  physic  ball. 


> 


MEDICINES  AND  KECEIPTS.  389 


GREEN  SALVE. 

The  following  are  the  proportions  for  making  green  salve: 

First. — Take  mutton  tallow,  one-half  pound  ;  lard,  three- 
quarters  of  a  pound;  beeswax,  two  ounces;  put  in  a  pot  and  stir 
over  a  hot  fire  until  it  is  melted. 

Second. — Keep  on  stirring,  and  pour  in  one-half  ounce  of 
verdigris.      Keep  stirring  it  over  the  fire  for  fifteen  minutes. 

Third. — Then  take  it  off  the  fire  and  add  one  ounce  of  spirits 
of  turpentine  and  keep  stirring  it  until  it  is  cold,  then  it  is  ready 
for  use. 

This  is  one  of  the  best  healing  salves  known,  especially  when 

a  wound  is  nearly  healed  up,  for  it  keeps  the  wound  soft,  draws  the 

edges  together  and  allows  the  hair  to  grow  over  better.     The  way 

to  apply  it  to  a  wound  is  to  melt  it  in  a  spoon  and  apply  it  with  a 

feather. 

MERCURY  BLISTER. 

Biniodid  of  Mercury  or  Red  Precipitate H  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1    ounce. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  this  is  one  of  the  best  blisters  for  blister- 
ing bony  enlargements,  such  as  splints,  spavins,  ringbones,  side- 
bones,  etc.  Rub  into  the  part  well,  grease  it  three  days  after, 
and  in  three  weeks  repeat  the  blister,  and  repeat  in  like  manner 
until  you  have  the  required  action.  In  case  you  want  a  heavier 
blister  add  another  half  dram  of  the  biniodid  of  mercury.  For 
further  directions  look  at  the  separate  diseases  above  mentioned. 

FLY  BLISTER. 

Powdered  Cantharides  or  Spanish  Fly 1^  drams. 

Vaseline  or  Lard 1    ounce. 

Mix  thoroughly,  and  this  is  one  of  the  best  sweat  blisters  for 

^blistering  thickenings   or  enlargements   in   any   part  of  the   body 

where  they  are  not  on  the  bone.     Use  the  same  directions  as  are 

given  in  the  mercury  blister. 

POWDERS  TO  ACT  ON  THE  KIDNEYS  AND  BLOOD. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre ^  pound. 

Sulphur i      " 

Ground  Gentian  Root i       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  in 

the  horse's  food  oi  on  its  tongue  with  a  spoon.     K  it  is  a  cow, 

give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day;  if  a  sheep,  give  a  teaspoonful 

twice  a  day.     This   is   a  good   powder  for  starting  an  animal  to 

thrive,   but   before    giving   it,    it  is   best  to   give   a  physic  drench. 

'H  it  is  a  horse,  give  aloes;  if  a  cow,  give  salts. 


390  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 

WORM  POWDERS. 

Sulphate  of   Iron ^  pound. 

Ground  Gentian  Hoot ^       '* 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  teaspoonful  three   times  a  day  m 

the  animal's  food  or  on  its  tongue  with  a  spoon.      This  powder  is 

only  intended  for  bots,   round  worms   and    pin    worms    in    horses. 

It   is   alse    a  good   tonic   powder.       Before    and    after    using    the 

powder  give  a  physic  drench. 

GARGLES. 

Sulphur , ^  pound. 

Nitrate  of   Potash  or   Saltpetre ^       " 

Powdered  Alum ^       *♦ 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give   a  teaspoonful  three  times  a  day  on 

a  horse  or  cow's  tongue  with  a  spoon,  if  it  is  a  sheep,  pig  or  dog» 

^We  half  a  teaspoonful     !iree  times  a  day  on  the    tongue   with    a 

spoon.     This  is  a  splendid  powder  for  a  gargle  in  all  cases  of  sore 

throat,  or  sore  mouth,  and  also  makes  a  good  cough  powder. 

GENERAL  CONDITION  POWDER. 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre J  pound. 

Common  Soda ^       " 

Ground  Aniseed J       " 

Femigreek |       " 

Mix  thoroughly  and  give  a  tablespoonful  every  night  in  a-, 
bran  mash,  but  if  in  a  case  where  you  want  to  fatten  the  animal 
in  a  hurry,  give  a  tablespoonful  twice  a  day  in  a  bran  mash.  In 
horses  that  are  working  hard  give  a  tablespoonful  every  Saturday 
night  in  a  bran  mash  to  keep  them  in  good  working  condition. 

RECEIPT  FOR  COLIC  AND  INDIGESTION. 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 1  ounce  or  4  tablespoonfuls. 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite 10  drops. 

Common  Soda 1  teaspoonful. 

Ginger 1  " 

Mix  in  a  pint  of  luke  warm  water  and  give  as  a  drench  every 

two  hours   in   cases   of  colic,  indigestion  and  inflammation.      For 

further  particulars  refer  to  diseases  of  the  stomach  and  bowels. 

HOOF  OINTMENT. 

Raw  Linseed  Oil i  pint. 

Crude  Petroleum  Oil I     " 

Neatsfoot  Oil I     " 

Pine  Tar i     " 

Mix  well  and  apply  every  night  with  a  brush  all  over  and 
under  the  hoof — even  a  little  in  the  hair  above  the  hoof.  Clean 
out  the  hoof  before  applying. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS.  391 

LIST  OF  MEDICINES  TO  BE  KEPT  ON  HAND. 


The  following'  is  a  list  of  medicines  that  every  stockowner 
should  keep  on  hand  for  cases  of  emergency,  that  is,  where  he 
has  an  animal  take  sick  with  inflammation,  colic,  indigestion,  or 
any  other  disease  that  requires  his  immediate  attention,  he 
can  give  these  medicines,  while  if  he  had  to  go  to  a  drug"  store  for 
them  at  the  time,  he  might  lose  the  animal: 

Sweet  Spirits  of   Nitre 4  ounces. 

Tincture  of  Laudanum 4        " 

Fleming's  Tincture  of  Aconite   ^        " 

Raw  Linseed  Oil 1  pint. 

Epsom  Salts 1  pound. 

Bitter  Aloes 8  drams. 

It  is  also  advisable  to  have  a  bottle  of  white  liniment  and  a 
bottle  of  white  lotion  on  hand  for,  as  they  do  not  cost  much  when 
mixed  by  the  quart,  they  are  very  handy  to  have  on  hand  for 
sprains,  sore  shoulders,  cuts,  etc.  As  for  the  other  medicines  in 
the  book  they  can  be  got  at  a  drug  store  any  time,  as  the  cases 
they  are  used  in  are  not  so  urgent.  The  cost  of  the  list  of  medi- 
cines given  is  triflingf,  and  by  having  them  on  hand  a^d  able  to 
give  it  at  the  time  the  animal  is  noticed  to  be  sick  will  often  save 
the  animal's  life,  whereas,  if  you  had  to  go  to  a  drug  store  at 
the  time,  the  delay  would  cause  the  loss  of  the  animal. 

Note. — In  buying  fluid  medicine  always  take  your  bottle  to 
the  drug  store,  for  the  new  bottle  often  costs  you  more  than 
the  medicine. 


TAKE  NOTICE. 

All  the  doses  of  medicines  which  are  mentioned  in  the  section 
of  the  book,  dealing  with  Medicines  and  Receipts,  are  intended 
for  an  average  sized  animal,  unless  otherwise  mentioned,  so  in 
giving  doses  to  smaller  animals  you  must  regulate  the  dose 
to  suit  the  animal. 


392  THE  VETERINARY  SCIENCE. 


CONSULTATION  AND  ADVICE  FREE  OF 
CHARGE. 


Any  person  buying-  a  copy  of  The  Veterinary  Science  from 
one  of  our  authorized  agents  will  have  the  privilege  ot  free 
consultation  on  any  disease  they  do  not  understand,  or  anythint' 
in  the  book  they  want  more  information  about.  In  cases  where 
a  new  disease  should  break  out,  by  sending  the  symptoms  of  the 
case  in  full,  and  causes  of  the  trouble  as  near  as  }ou  can  tell, 
we  will  furnish  you  by  return  mail,  advice  and  prescription  in 
full — free  of  charge.  Parties  living  in  Canada  should  enclose  a 
three  cent  stamp;  if  in  the  United  States,  five  cents  in  silver,  for 
return  postage.  Advice  given  on  all  kinds  of  operations, 
(castrating  rigs  or  original  horses  a  specialty).  Address  all  mail 
■under  this  heading  to  J.  E.  Hodgins,  V.  S.,  or  to  T.  H.  Haskett, 
Secretary  of  tlie   Veterinary    Science   Company,  London,  Canada. 


IIMDE^C. 


PART  T. 

ANATOMY    OF    THE    HORSE. 


I'AOE 

Abdominal  Muscles 17 

Bladder,  the   38 

Bone 9 

Bowels,  the 32 

Breathing 37 

Bronchial  Tubes  or  Air  Cells .....  36 

Carpus  or  Knee 1-1 

Cervical  or  Neck  Bones 10 

Circulatory  System 22 

Classes  of  Bone 9 

Coccygeal  or  Muscles  of  the  Tail . .  18 

Coccygeal  or  Tail  Bones 11 

Coffin  Joint 14 

Consideration  of  Joints 13 

Contents  of  Bone 9 

Covering  of  Bone 9 

Digestive  Organs 26 

Dorsal  or  Back  Bones 11 

Ear,  the 54 

Elbow  Joint 13 

Eye,  the 55 

Fallopian  Tubes,  the 43 

Female  Genital  Organs,  the 43 

Fetlock  Joint 14 

Fetlock,  Pastern,  Coffin  Joints.. . .  15 
Foetus   or   Young   Animal  Before 

Birth 46 

Frog,  the 54 

■Genital  Organs 40 

<jenital  Organs  of  the  Horse 40 

Glands,  the 33 

Gluteal  Muscles 17 

Gullet,  the 31 

Hair 48 

Head  Bones 10 

Hip  Joint 14 

Hip  or  Pelvic  Bones 11 

Hock  or  Tarsus  Joint 15 

Hoof,  the 48 


PAGE 

How  to  Tell  When  a  Mare  is  With 

Foal 47 

How   to  Tell  When  an  Arterj'  is 

Cut 24 

Important  Points  of  Joints  in  Legs  13 

Involuntary  Muscles 20 

Joints  of  Hind  Leg 14 

Kidneys,  the 38 

Larynx  or  Adam's  Apple 36 

Liver,  the 33 

Lumbar  or  Small  of  Back  Bones. .  11 

Lungs,  the 37 

Lymphatic  System   25 

Mammary  Glands 45 

Membranes  of  the  Body 34 

Mucous  Membranes 34 

Muscles  of  Front  Leg 18 

Muscles  of  Hind  Leg 19 

Muscular  System 16 

Nasal  Chambers   or    Chambers  of 

the  Head 36 

Nervous  System 20 

Nostrils,  the 35 

Number   of   Bones  in  Skeleton  of 

Horse 12 

Oesophagus,  the 31 

Organs  of  Respiration 35 

Ovaries,  the 43 

Pancreas,  the 33 

Pastern  Joint 14 

Penis,  the 42 

Process  of  Digestion 35 

Recturh  or  Back  Gut 33 

Ribs ..^—  ,..  12 

Sacral  or  Rump  Bones.  ..'...'.....  11 

Salivary  Glands ,  26 

Scrotum,  the 40 

Semen,  the 42 

Serous  Membranes C4 


394 


INDEX — Anatomy  of  the  Horse. 


PAGE 

Sheath,  the 42 

Shoulder  Joint 13 

Shoulder  Muscle 18 

Signs  of  Foaling. .  ^ 47 

Skin,  the 48 

Sole,  the 53 

Spermatic  Cords 41 

Spleen,  the 34 

Sternum  or  Breast  Bone 12 

Stifle  Joint 15 

Stomach,  the  .    31 

Table  of  the  Teeth 68 

Teeth,  the 56 


Testicles,  the 

Trachea  or  Windpipe. 

Ureters,  the 

Urethra,  the 

Urinary  System 

Uterus,  the 

Vagina  and  Vulva.  . . . 

Viis  Deferens 

Vesiculae  Seniinales.  . 
Voluntary  Muscles . . . 

Wall,  the 

Wolf  Teeth. 

Womb,  the 


•AGE 

40 
36 
38 
39 
SS 
43 
44 
42 
42 
16 
48 
'J  I 
43 


INDEX  PART  IL 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  THE  HORSE. 


PAGE 

Abortion 136 

Abscesses    in    the   Scrotum    after 

Castration   144 

Abscesses  of  the  Bones  of  Head. . .  62 
Abscesses — Serious  Abscesses  and 

Abscesses  Containing  Matter. .  .   311 

Acute  Indigestion 90 

Afterbirth  not  Coming  Away 131 

Afterpaiuf 131 

Age— How  to  Tell  by  the  Teeth  . .   235 

Amaurosis,  or  Star  Gazjr 153 

Appetite,  Ravenous  (read  Chronic 

Indigestion) 94 

Appetite,  Ravenous  (read    Broken 

Wind,  or  Heaves) 74 

Aplhie,  or  Thrush  of  Mouth 84 

Artery,  Enlarged  and  Diseased  (see 

Aneurism) 186 

Artery,  Rupture  of 187 

Azoturia 189 

Back,  Horse  not  Able  to,  see  Chorea  178 

Back,  Sore  (see  Sore  Back) 208 

Back  Tendons,  Sprain  of 215 

Bad  Blood 188 

Bad  Disorder  (see  Clap,  or  Gonor- 

riioea) 122 


Bag,  Enlargement  of  (see  Rupture 

in  Bag) 119- 

Bag,    Festering   in.    After  Castra- 
tion, (see  Abscesses  in) 144 

Bag,  Swelling  or  Dropsy  of 119 

Barb-W^ire  Cuts  (see  Wounds  and 

Treatment) 199 

Barreness  in  the  Mare 122 

Bastard  Strangles IG-i 

Belly-Ache  from  Indigestion 90 

Belly-Ache  from  Inflammation ....  98 

Belly-Ache,  or  Colic 95  97 

Belly,  Dropsy  of 108 

Belly — Muscles,  Injuries  of 208 

Big  Head  (Osteo-Porosis) 191 

Big  Leg 184 

Bile  Stones Ill 

Binding    Up    of    the    Bowels,    or 

Constipation lUO 

Bladder,  Infltimmation  of 116 

Bladder,  Paralysis  of US 

Bladder,  Stones  in 117 

Bladder,    turning   Out   of,    or  In- 
version   117 

Bleed  a  Horse,  How  lo 237 

Bleeding  at  the  No.?e 66 

Bleeding  from  Lungs 66 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


395 


Bleeding  From    the   Cords  After 

Castration 142 

Bleeding,    How    to     Stop     (see 

Wounds) 199 

Blindness  After  Castration 148 

Blindness  From  Cataract  or  Scum.  153 
Blind  Staggers,  (see  Stomach  Stag- 
gers)     175 

Blindness  (see  Star  Gazer) 153 

Blisters  in   Mouth   (see   Aptha  or 

Thrush) 84 

Bloating  From  Colic 97 

Bloating  From  Indigestion 90 

Blood,  Bad 188 

Blood,  Bad,  After  Distemper  (see 

Bastard  Strangles) 165 

Blood,  Hot  (see  Nettle  Rash) 169 

Blood  Poisoning 202 

Blood  Spavin 223 

Bloody  Flux,  or  Dysentery 103 

Blow   on    Head    (see  Brain — Con- 
cussion of . 174 

Body,  Diseases  of 202 

Bog  Spavin 220 

Bone  Spavin 196 

Bones  Below  the  Knee,  Fracture  of  217 

Bones,  Diseases  of 191 

Bones  of  Hip  Fractured 209 

Bones  of  Shoulder,  Fracture  of . . .   212 

Bots 94 

Bound    Up,    or    Constipation    in 

Young  Foals 137 

Bowels  and  Stomach,  Diseases  of.     90 

Bowels,  Balls  in 105 

Bowels,  Coming  Down  After  Cas- 
tration (see  Rupture) 143 

Bowels,  Coming  Down  After  Cas- 
tration (see  Fatty  Lining) 144 

Bowels,  Constipation  or  Stoppage 

of 100 

Bowels,  Inflammation  of 98 

Bowels,  Intussusception  of 104 

Bowels,    Protrusion    or    Turning 

Out  of 107 

Bowels,  Rupture  of  the  Rectum  or 

Back  Bowel 105 

Bowels,  Tumors   or   Abscesses  in 
Rectum - 106 


PAGB 

Bowels,  Twist  or  Knot  in 104 

Brain,  Concussion  of 174 

Brain,  Inflammation  of 172 

Breakdown 218 

Breathing,  Difficult  (see  Pleuro- 
dynia)       75 

Breathing  Organs,  Diseases  of . . . .     60 
Breaking  Out  After  Distemper  (see 

Bastard  Strangles) 165 

Breeding — Mares  that    Will  Not 

Breed     122 

Broken  Back 208 

Broken  Neck  (see  Fracture  of  the 

Bones  of  the  Neck 203 

Broken  Wind  or  Heaves 74 

Bronchitis 73 

Bruises  of  the  Shoulder 206 

Bruises  of  the  Sole  of  the  Foot. .  .   232 
Bursal  Enlargements  Around  the 

Knee  and  Fetlock 214 

Button  Farcy 162^ 

Caked  Bag   (see   Inflammation  of 

Milk  Bag) 135 

Calf-kneed 215 

Cancer 310 

Cancerous  Growths  in  the  Eye .  . .   154 

Cancers , 224 

Capped  Elbow 212 

Capped  Hock 221 

Care  of  a  Horse,  How  to 238 

Caries,  or  Decayed  Teeth 80 

Cartilage  of  Ear,  Diseased 1 50 

Casting  an  Animal  for  an  Operation  140 
Castrating,  Abscesses  or  Festering 

After.    ,    144 

Castration,  Bleeding  After 142 

Castration,  Blindness  After 148 

Castration,  Diseases  and  Troubles 

Following 139 

Castration,  Fatty  Lining  of  Bowels 

Coming  Down  After 144 

Castration,  How   to  Treat  a  Colt 

After 142 

Castration,  Inflammation  of  the 
Lining  of  the  Belly,  or  Peritoni- 
tis, After 146 

Castration,  Lockjaw  After 147 

'^astration.  Original  or  Rigs 148 


■396 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse, 


PAGE 

Castration,  Precautions  Before   .  .  139 

Castration,  Rupture  After 143 

Castration,  Swelling  After   145 

Catarrh,  Chronic,  or  Nasal  Gleet..  61 

Catarrh,  Simple,  or  Cold  in  Head  60 

Caulks 231 

Cerebro  Spinal  Meningitis 177 

Cheeks  and  Lips,  Injuries  to 85 

Cheeks  and  Lips,  Paralysis  of . . . .  85 
Chest  Founder — 

See  Coffin  Joint    Lameness..  232 

See  Sore  Feet 227 

Chest,  Water  in 72 

Chill 237 

Choking  with  Oats 88 

Chorea 178 

Chronic  Founder 227 

Chronic  Indigestion 94 

Clamps,  Cutting  With 141 

Clamps,  Medicines  Used  in 148 

Clapp  (Gonorrhcea) 122 

Cleaning  Not  Coming  Away 131 

Club  Foot 228 

Coffin  Joint  Lameness 232 

Cold  in  Head 60 

Colic — from  Balls  in  the  Bowels. .  105 

Colic — from  Indigestion 94 

Colic — ^Spasmodic 95 

Colie— Wind  or  Flatulent 97 

Collar  Galls  (see  Scalded  or  Galled 

Shoulders) 206 

Colt  111  (see  Distemper) 163 

Colt — How  to  Treat  After  Castra- 
tion    1 42 

Concussion  of  Brain 174 

Contagious  Diseases — 

Small  Pox 157 

Glanders 158-159 

Influenza 160 

Button  Farcy 162 

Distemper 163 

Bastard  Strangles 165 

Pink  Eye 165 

•Contracted  Feet  (see  Sore  Feet).    .  227 
Contracted  Heels — 

See  Coffin  Joint  Lameness   ...  232 

See  Corns 228 


Constipation,  or  Costiveness 100 

Constipation  of  Young  Foals 1.37 

Congestion  of  the  Liver 110 

Congestion  of  the  Lungs 67 

Cord    in    the    Bag  Diseased  After 

Castration 145 

Coins 228 

Costiveness  from  Tumor  in  Bowel   106 

Costiveness  or  Constipation 100 

Cough,  Chronic 65 

Cough  from  Bronchitis 73 

Cough  from  Heaves 74 

Coiigliing  (see  Spasms  of  the  Mus- 
cles of  the  Larynx) 66 

Crack  in  Heel  (see  Quarter  Ciack)  231 

Cracked  Heels 166 

Cramps  of  the  Bowels  (see  Colic)  .  95 
Craziness     (see     Infldmmation    of 

Brain) 172 

Crib  Suckers 82 

Crookedness  of  the  L'  gs  iu  Young 

Foals 139 

Curb 224 

Cut  by  sharp  stick  (see  Staked). . .   209 

Cut  or  Wound,  Poisoning  of 202 

Cuts  of  any  kind  (see  Wounds  ami 

Treatment) 199 

Cuts  of  any  kind  around  the  Feet.  232 

Cuts  of  E^'elids 156 

Cuts    or    Wounds    (read    how    to 

sew  up) ]  99 

Cuts  or  Wounds,  Inllamniation  of.  2(Jl 
Cuts  or  Wounds,  Modes  of  Healing  201 
Cuts  or  Wounds,  Swelling  of  (see 

Inflammation  of  Wound) 201 

Cutting  by  Searing 142 

Cutting  Colls  (see  Castniiion) .  . . .    l.'iO 

Cutting  with  Ligatures 142 

Cutting  with  the  Clamps 14! 

Cutting  with  the  Eoiastur. .  .....      141 

Decayed  Teeth SO 

Diabetes 114 

Diaphrugni,  Spasms  of 76 

Diaphragm,  Rupture  of 77 

Diarrhea 101 

Diarrhoja  in  Young  Animals 102 

Diarri.CE.i  in  Young  Foals 137 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


39r 


Ear 


PAGE 

Disinfect    Stable,    How    to    (read 
How  to  Feed  and  Take  Care  of 

a  Horse) 238 

Dislocation  of  the  Stifle  Bone 218 

Distemper 163 

Distemper  in  Young  Foals 139 

Drench  Horse,  How  to 237 

Dripping  of  Urine  or  Water 118 

Drooping  Head  (see  Inflammation 

of  Lungs) 69 

Dropping    Dead    (see   Rupture  of 

Valves  of  Heart) 185 

Dropsy  of  Belly 108 

Dropsy  of  the  Belly  Before  Foaling  136 
Dropsy  of  the  Scrotum  or  Bag. ...   119 

Dysentery 103 

/Diseases  of 150 

Running  Sores  of 150 

Deafness 150 

Injuries  or  Cuts 150 

Frost  Bites  of 151 

Diseased  Cartilage  or  Gristle 

I     of 150 

Eating  too  much  Wheat 109 

Ecraseur,  cutting  with 141 

Eczema,  simple 168 

Elephantiasis 184 

Elbow  Joint,  Lump  at  the  Back  of 

(see  Capped  Elbow) 212 

Enlargement  of  Liver 112 

Enlargement  of  Navel 148 

Enlargement     of     CEsophagus     or 

Gullet 89 

Enlargement  of  Bag  (see  Dropsy  of)  119 
Enlargements  —  Puffy      or      Soft 
Around  the  Knee  or  Fetlock. . .   214 

Epizootic  Cellulitis 165 

Ergotism 313 

Eye,  Blindness  from  Cataract  ....    153 

Eye,  Cancerous  Growl  h  in 154 

Eye,  Diseases  of 151 

Eye,  Growth  in  Corner  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  Haw) 155 

Eye,  Inflanimation  of  Haw  in  Cor- 
ner     155 

Eye,  Injury  to  Tear  Ducts 156 

Eye,  Lids  Injured  or  Cut 156 

Eye,  Nearsightedness 157 


±*A(}il 

Eye,  Scum  on  (Cataract) 153 

Eye,  sore  (Moonblindness) 152 

Eye,  sore  (Simple  Ophthalmia).. . .  151 
Eye,  Worm  in  (see  Filaria  Oculi)  .  154 
Eyes,  Yellow  from  Enlargement  of 

Liver 112 

Eyes,  Yellow  from  Inflammation 

of  Liver 110' 

Eyes,  Yellow  From  Jaundice Ill 

Falling  Away   of   the   Muscles   of 

the  Hip  After  Foaling 210' 

Falling  Away   of   the   Muscles   of 

the  Shoulder  (see  Sweeny) 205 

Falling  Down  (see  Stomach  Stag- 
gers)     175 

False  Quarter 232 

Farcy,  Button   162 

Farcy,  Water  (see  Weed  in  Leg)..   182 
Fatty  Lining  of  the  Bowels  Com- 
ing Down  After  Castration 144 

Feet,  Club  or  Pumiced 228 

Feet,  Cuts  of  Any   Kind   Around 

Them 232 

Feet,  Diseases  of 225 

Festering  in  Scrotum  or  Bag  After 

Castration 144 

Fetlock  Dropping  (see  Breakdown)  218 

Fetlock  Joint,  Sprain  of 215 

Fetlock,  over  on  (see  Knuckling). .   216 
Fetlock,    over    on    in    Colts    (see 

Knuckling  in  Colts) 216 

Fetlock,  Thickenings  Around 217 

Filaria  Oculi 154 

Firing,  read 198 

Fistula 312 

Fistulous  Withers 204 

Flagged  Bag  (see  Garget) 135 

Foal  Bed  Turned  Out 132 

Foal,  How  to  Tell  When  a  Mare 

is  in 123 

Foaling,    DiflSculties    Met     With 

while 129 

Foaling  and  Diseases  Following. ..   123 

Foaling,  Immediate  Signs  of 124 

Foaling,  Troubles  Following 131 

Foaling,  Pains  After 131 

Foaling,    Swelling   of   the    Mare's 
Belly  Before 136 


398 


INDEX^ Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


PAGE 

Foal— The  Natural  Way  to  Come .   124 
Foals,  Constipated  or  Bound  Up. .    137 

Foals,  Crooked  in  the  Legs 139 

Foals,    Diarrhoea    or    Scowers    in 

Young 137 

Foals,  Diseases  and  Troubles  of  .  .  137 

Foals,  Distemper  in 139 

Foals,  Rheumatism  and    Leaking 

of  Navel 138 

Poals,  Weak  in  the  Legs  and  Joints  139 

Foot,  Bruises  of  the  Sole 232 

Foot,  Club  or  Pumiced 228 

Foot,  Cut  From  Horse  Stepping  on 

(see  Caulks) 231 

Foot,  Nail  Run  in 229 

Foot,  Pricks  of  in  Shoeing   230 

Founder  in  Chest  (see  Sore  Feet), .   227 
Founder — 

Acute 225 

Chronic 227 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  Below  the 

Knee 217 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  of  the  Hock 

Joint 222 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  of  the  Knee  214 
Fracture     of    the     Bones    of    the 

Shoulder 212 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  of  the  Tail..  210 

Fracture  of  the  Hip  Bones 209 

Fracture  of  the  Neck  Bones 203 

Fracture  of  the  Thigh  Bones 219 

Frog,  Thrush  in 229 

Front  Leg,  Diseases  of 212 

Frost  Bites  of  the  Ear 151 

Frothing  at  Mouth 86 

Frothing  at  Nostrils,  (see  Rupture 

of  Diaphragm) 77 

Galled  Back  (see  Sore  Back) 208 

Galled  or  Scalded  Shoulders 206 

Garget 135 

Genital  Organs  of  the  Horse,  Dis- 
eases of lis 

Genital  Organs  of  the  Mare,  Dis- 
eases of 121 

Glanders — 

Acute 159 

Chronic 158 

Glanders  (see  Nasal  Gleet) 61 


Glaucoma 155 

Gleet,  Nasal 61 

Gonorrhoea  (Clap) 122 

Good  Points  About  a  Horse ......   234 

Grease 167 

Growth  in  Eje 154 

Growths,    Angry    Looking     (see 

Cancer) 224 

Growths  on  the  End  of  the  Penis..   120 

Gullet,  Diseases  of 78 

Gullet,  Paralysis  of 88 

Gums,  Sore  (see  Lampas) 78 

Hair  Falling   Off  in   Circles   (see 

Ringworm)....    171 

Head  and  Throat,  Swelling  Around     89 

Head,  Big  (see  Big  Head) 191 

Head,  Blow  on  (see  Concussion  of 

Brain 174 

Head,  Disease  of 202 

Head,  Drooping  (see  Inflammation 

of  Lungs) 69 

Heel,  Cut  From  Overreaching  (see 

Overreach) 232 

Hearing  (see  Deafness) 150 

Heart,  Arteries   and   Blood,    Dis- 
eases of 185 

Heart,  Rupture  of  Valves 185 

Heart,  Palpitation  of 186 

Heart,  Palpitation  of  (see  Spasms 

of  Diaphragm) 76 

Heaves,  or  Broken  Wind 74 

Heels,  Cracked  (see  Scratches) ....    166 
Heel,  Crack  in  (see  Quarter-Crack)  231 

Hernia,  After  Castration 143 

Hernia,  Ventral 149 

Hernia,  Umbilical    . .    148 

Hernia,  Scrotal 149 

Hind  Leg,  Diseases  of 212 

Hidebound  (see  Bad  Blood) 188 

Hip  Muscles,  Sprain  of 211 

Hip  Muscles,  Falling  Away  After 

Foaling      210 

Hip  Joint  Lameness 211 

Hip,    Point     Knocked      Off    (see 

Hipped)   209 

Hipped 209 

Hips,  Diseases  of 202 

Hips,  Injuries  to  During  Foaling..    135 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


399 


Hock  Bones,  Fracture  of 

Hock,  Capped  (see  Capped  Hock). 

Hock  Joint,  Sprain  of 

Hoof,  Rough  After  a  Cut  Around 

the  Top  (see  False  Quarter)  .... 

Horse,  How  to  Drench 

Horse,  How  to  Bleed 

Horse,    How   to   Feed    and    Take 

Care  of 

Horse,  Loss  of   Appetite   (read  in 

Medicines — Aniseed,  Arsenic) 
Horse  not  Able  to  Back  (see  Chorea) 
Horse  not   Able    to   Get   Up   (see 

Paralysis)   .... 

Horse   tfot   Able   to   Get   Up  (see 

Broken  Back)    

Horse  Dropping   Dead  (see  Heart 

Disease) 

Horse  not  Doing  Well  (see) — 

Bad  Blood   

Chronic  Indigestion 

Worms 

Bots 

Horse,  Miscellaneous  Information. 
Horse's  Age,  How  to  Tell  by  His 

Teeth 

Horse     Stepping     on     Foot     (see 

Caulks) 

How  to  Bleed  a  Horse 

How  to  Drench  a  Horse 

How  to  Feed  and  Take  Care  of  a 

Horse 

How  to  Examine  a  Sick  Horse. ... 
How  to  Tell  a  Horse's  Age  by  His 

Teeth  

Hydrocele    (see    Dropsy     of    the 

Scrotum) 

Hydrophobia 

T  J-      ■•      TAcute 

Indigestions 

IChronic 


Inflammation  (read  How    to    Tell 

From  Colic) 

Inflammation  of  Bladder 

Inflammation  of  Bowels 

Inflammation  of  Brain 

Inflammation  of  Haw  of  Eye 

Inflammation  of  Kidneys 113- 

Inflammation  of  Lungs 


222 
221 
222 

232 
237 
237 

238 

369 
178 

176 

208 
185 

188 
94 

109 
94 

234 

235 

231 
237 
237 

238 
59 

235 

119 

180 

90 

94 

96 
116 

98 
172 
155 
114 

69 


PAGl: 

Inflammation  of  Liver 110 

Inflammation  of  Parotid  Gland..    .     87 

Inflammation  of  Spleen 112 

Inflammation   of   Lining  of   Belly 

(see  Peritonitis) 107 

Inflammation   of   Lining   of  Belly 
After  Castration  (see  Peritonitis)  146 

Inflammation  of  Spinal  Cord 177 

Inflammation  of  the  Milk  Bag. . . .    135 

Inflammation  of  Tongue 83 

Inflammation  of  Throat 63 

Inflammation  of  Vein 187 

Inflammation    of   Vagina,  or   Pas- 
sage From  Womb 134 

Inflammation  of  Womb 134 

Inflammation  of  Wounds 201 

Influenza 160 

Injuries  and  Sprains  of  the  Knee. .  213 

Injuries  to  Ducts  of  Eye 156 

Injuries  to  Eyelids 156 

Injuries  to  Lips  and  Cheeks 85 

Injuries  to  Hips  During  Foaling. .    135 

Injuries  to  the  Ear 150 

Injuries  to  the  Penis 119 

Injuries  to  the  Muscles  of  the  Belly  208 
Injuries  to  the  Muscles  of  the  Neck  203 
Injuries  to  the  Tongue 83 

Interfering/S^^'^'^g  *^«  ^°^«  -213 
^Striking  the  Fetlock.  216 

Inversion  of  the  Bladder 117 

From  Eczema 168 


Itching 


J    From  Lice 172 

1    From  Mange 170 

^  From  Pin  worms 109 

Jaundice,  From  Bilestones Ill 

Jaundice  or  Yellows Ill 

Jerking  of  Legs  (.see  Stringhalt)  . .   179 
Joint  Oil  Running  Out  (see  Open 

Joint) 223 

I"  Acute  Inflammation  of.   113 
Kidneys  -^  Chronic  Inflammation  of  114 

llnflammation  of 113 

Killed  by  Lightning,  Appearance 

of  an  Animal 313 

Knee  Bones,  Fracture  of    214 

Knee,  Injuries  and  Sprains  of  ....   213 

Knee,  Splints  Afl'ecting  it 214 

Knee  Sprung .    214 


400 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


Knee,   Swelling   on  the  Inside  of 

(see  Striking  the  KneeJ 213 

Knuckling 216 

Knuckling  in  Colts 216 

Lameness,  Hip  Joint 211 

Lameness  (see  Rheumatism) 225 

Lameness,  Shoulder  Joint 207 

Lameness,   Stepping  on   Toe   (see 

Nail  in  Foot) 229 

Lameness,    Sudden   (see    Nail    in 

Foot) 229 

Laminitis 225 

Lampas 78 

Laryngitis .     63 

Leaking  Joint  Oil  (see  Open  Joint)  223 
Leaking  of  the  Navel  or  Rheuma- 
tism in  Foals 138 

Legs  and  Joints,  Weakness  of  in 

Foals 139 

Legs  Crooked  in  Young  Foals 139 

Legs  Swelled  From  Grease 167 

Legs  Swelled  From  Bad  Blood. . ..  188 

Legs  Swelled  From  Big  Leg   184 

Legs  Swelled  From  Stocking 184 

Legs  Swelled  From  Weed  in  the 

Leg 182 

Legs  Jerking  (see  Stringhalt) 179 

Leucorrhcea  or  Whites 121 

Lice 172 

Ligatures,  Cutting  VA  itn 142 

Lightning,  the  Appearance  of  an 

Animal  Killed  by 313 

Lips  and  Cheeks,  Injuries  to 85 

Lips  and  Cheeks,  Paralysis  of 85 

Liver  and  Spleen,  Diseases  of 110 

Liver,  Enlargement  of 112 

Liver,  Inflammation  and  Congest- 
ion of 110 

Lockjaw 180 

Lockjaw,  After  Castration 147 

Lumps    About    Throat    (see   Dis- 
temper)     163 

Lumps  at   Back   of   Elbow   Joint 

(see  Capped  Elbow) 212 

Lumps,    Hard    (see    Tumors    and 

Cancers^ 224 

Lumps,  Hard  (see  Abscesses) 311 

Lumps,  Hard  on  Each  Side  of  the 
"Wnat  /see  Side  Bone^ 194 


Lumps  in  Nose  (see  Nasal  Polypi).  63 
Lumps   on   Shoulder  (see  Bruises 

on  Shoulder) 20& 

Lumps  on  Shoulder  (see  Tumors  or 

Lumps)   207 

Lumps  on  Grey  Horses  (see  Melan- 
otic Tumors) 170 

Lumps    Swollen    and     Sore     (see 

Abscesses) 31 1 

Lungs,  Bleeding  From 66 

Lungs,  Congestion  of   67 

Lungs,  Inflammation  of 69 

Lymphatic  System,  Diseases  of   . .  182 
Lymphatic  System,   Weed  in  the 

Leg 182 

Lymphatic  System,  Big  Leg 184 

Lymphatic   System,    Swelling    of 

the  Limbs 184 

Lymphangitis 182 

Mad    Dog,    Bite    of    (see  Hydro- 
phobia)   180 

Madness  (see  Hydrophobia) 180 

Mange 170 

Mare,     Barrenness     In,     or     Not 

Breeding 122 

Mare,  Diseases  of  Genital  Organs.  121 
Mare     Foaling,    Difficulties     Met 

With 129 

Mare   Foaling  and   Diseases   Fol- 
lowing    131 

Mare  Foaling  the  Natural  Way. . .  124 
Mare,    How   to   Tell   When   with 

Foal 123 

Mare  in  Foal,  How  to  Use 124 

Mares  Losing  Their  Foals 136 

Medicines    Used   in    Loading   the 

Clamps 148 

Metritis,  Inflammation  of  Womb.  134 

Melanotic  Tumors 170 

Milk  Bag,  Inflammation  of 135 

Milk  Teeth,  Shedding  of 78 

Modes  of  Healing  W^ounds 201 

Monday  Morning  Fever  (see  Lym- 
phangitis)    182 

Mouth,  Blisters  in  (see  Apthre) ...  84 

Mouth,  Can't  Open  (see  Lockjaw).  180 
Mouth,    Deformity     (see     Parrot 

Mouth 79 

Mouth,  Diseases  of 78 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


401 


PAGE 

Mouth,  Foreign  Substances  in ... .     82 

Myopia 157 

Nasal  Gleet,  or  Chronic  Catarrh. .  61 
Nasal  Polypi,  or  Small  Tumors  in 

Nose 63 

Nail  in  the  Foot 229 

Navel  String 124 

Navel,  Leaking  of,  and  Rheumat- 

is  n 138 

Navel,  or  Umbilical  Rupture 148 

Navicular  Disease 232 

Nearsightedness 157 

Neck  Bones,  Fracture  of 203 

Neck,  Disease  of 202 

Neck,     Lumps    Under    (see    Dis- 
temper)     163 

Neck  Muscles,  Injuries  of 203 

Neck,  Sore  on  Top  from  Collar. . .  204 
Needle    (read    How  to    Sew    Up 

Wounds) 199 

Nervous  System,  Diseases  of. 172 

Concussion  of  Brain 174 

Cerebro-Spinal  Meningitis.. . .   177 

Chorea 178 

Inflammation  of  Brain,  etc. . .   172 

Hydrophobia 180 

Lockjaw 180 

Paralysis 176 

Stomach  Staggers 175 

Stringhalt 179 

Sunstroke 173 

Nettle  Rash 169 

Nose,  Bleeding  at 66 

Nose,  Frothing  at  (see  Rupture  of 

Diaphragm 77 

Nose,  Lumps  in  (Nasal  Polypi) ...  63 
Nose,  Running  at,  From  Catarrh. 60- 61 
Nose,  Running  at,  From  Distemper  163 
Nose,  Running  at,  From  Influenza.  160 
Nose,    Running     at,    From    Sore 

Throat 63 

Oats,  Choking  With 88 

Oil,  Leikin^  From  Joint  (see  Open 

Joint) 223 

Operating  With  the  Clamps 141 

Operating  With  the  Eerasenr 141 

Operating  With  Ligatures 142 

Operating  By  Searing 142 


Open  Joint '. 223 

Orchitis  (see  Inflammation  of  Tes- 
ticles)    118 

Original,  or  Rig  Horses,  Cast  rating.   148 

Osteo-Porosis  (see  Big  Head) 191 

Ovaries,  Diseases  of 121 

Over  Driven  (see  Chill) 237 

Over  on  Fetlocks  (see  Knuckling).  216 
Over    on    Fetlocks    in   Colts    (see 

Knuckling  in  Colts) 216 

Overreach 232 

Palpitation  of  Heart 186 

Palpitation  of  Heart — Thumps  (see 

Spasms  of  Diaphragm) 76 

Paralysis 176 

Paralysis  From  Azoturia 189 

Paralysis  From  Sunstroke 173 

Paralysis  (see  Cerebro-Spinal  Men- 
ingitis)    177 

Paralysis  of  the  Bladder 118- 

Paralysis     of     Hindquarters    (see 

Broken  Back) 20S; 

Paralysis  of  Lips  and  Cheeks 85- 

Paralysis  of  Pharynx  and  Gullet. .     88- 

Parotid  Gland,  Thickening  of 86^ 

Parotid  Gland,  Inflammation  of  . .     87 

Parrot  Mouth 79 

Partial  Dislocation  of  the  Stiflle. .   219 
Parturition,  or  Foaling,   and  Dis- 
eases Following 123. 

Passage,    Rupture   of.    Out  From 

Womb 132 

Penis,  Growths  on  the  End 120 

Penis,  Injuries  of 119 

Peritonitis 107 

Peritonitis  After  Castration. ....   146 

Pharynx,  Paralysis  of 88 

Pink  Eye 16.5 

Pinworms 109 

Placenta  Not  Coming  Away 131 

Pleurodynia 75 

Pleurisy  . .  . , 71 

Pleurisy  (see  Pleurodynia) 75 

Pneumonia,  or  Inflammation  of  the 

Lungs 69 

Point   of    Hip  Knocked   OS"  (see 

Hipped) 209 

Poll  Evil 202 


-26— 


402 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


FAGK 

Pox,  Small 157 

Precautions  Before  Cutting  or  Cas- 
trating    139 

Pricks  in  the  Foot  From  Shoeing..  230 
Pufly    Enlargements   Around    the 

Knees  and  Fetlocks 214 

Pumiced  Foot 228 

Punctures  in  Foot  From  Nail 229 

Quarter  Crack 231 

Questions   to   Ask   About   a  Sick 

Horse 59 

Rabies ISO 

Rash,  Nettle 169 

Ravenous    Appetite  (see  Chronic 

Indigestion) 94 

Ravenous    Appetite    (see   Broken 

Wind  or  Heaves 74 

Rheumatism 225 

Rheumatism  and  Leaking  of  Navel 

in  Foals 138 

Rig  Horses,  Castrating 148 

Ringbone 195 

Ringworms 171 

Roaring 65 

Rotten  Frog  (see  Thrush) 229 

Rubbing  (see  Itching  in  Index) 

Rubbing  Tail  (see  Pinworms) 109 

Running  at  the  Nose  (see  Cold  in 

Head) 60 

Running  Sores 312 

Running  Sores  About  Ear 150 

Running  Sores  (see  Open  Joint). . .   223 

Rupture  at  Navel 148 

Rupture  of  the  Womb 132 

Rupture  After  Castration 143 

Rupture  in  the  Bag  or  Scrotum. .  .    149 
Rupture  in  the  Rim  of  Belly,  Ven- 
tral Hernia , 149 

Salivary  Glands,  Diseases  of 78-86 

.Scalded  or  (Jailed  Shoulder 206 

Scrotal  Hernia 149 

Scirrhus  Cord 145 

Scrotum   Festering  After    Castra- 
tion      145 

Scowers  in  Young  Foals  (see  Diar- 

rha?a)    137 

Scratches 166 

Scum  on  Eye  (see  Cataract) , 153 


Scrotum ,  Dropsy  of 119 

Searing,  Cutting  by 142 

Sewing  Up  a  Wouud  or  Cut 199 

Sharp  Edges  of  Teeth 79 

Sheath,  Swelling  of.  Dirty 120 

Sheath,  Warts  on 120 

Shivering  (see  Chill) 237 

Shivering  (see  Congestion) 67 

Shivering  (see  Inflammation) 69 

Shivering  (see  Pleurisy) 71 

Shoulder  Bones  Fractured 212 

Shoulder,  Diseases  of 202 

Shoulder,  Swelling  of  (see  Bruises 

of) 206 

Shoulder  Joint  Lameness 207 

Shoulder,  Scalded  or  Galled 206 

Shying  (see  Nearsightedness) 157 

Sick  Horse,  How  to  Examine  ....  59 

Side  Bone 194 

Sight,  Near  (see  Myopia) 157 

Signs  of  Immediate  Foaling ,  124 

Sitfast  on  Shoulder  (see  Tumors  or 

Lumps) 207 

Skin,  Diseases  of     ...  166 

Cracked  Heels  or  Scratches. .  166 

Grease 167 

Lice 172 

Mange 170 

Melanotic  Tumors 170 

Skin,  Diseases  of — 

Mud  Fever 167 

Nettle  Rash 169 

Ring  Worm 171 

Simple  Eczema 168 

Slobbering   (see    Inflammation   of 

Tongue) 83 

Slobbering  or  Frothing  at  Mouth..  86 

Smallpox 157 

Sore  Back 208 

Sore  on  Top  of  Head  (see  Poll  Evil)  202 

Sore  on  Top  of  Neck  From  Collar.  204 

Sore  Eyes  (see  Simple  Ophthalmia)  151 

Sore  Eyes  (see  Moon  Blindness)  . .  152 

Sore,  Running 312 

Sores,   Running   About    Ear   (see 

Cartilages  of  Ear) 150 

Sores,  Running  (see  Open  Joint) . .  223 

Sore  Throat 63 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


403 


Sore    Tail   (see   Fracture    of    Tail 

Bones) '210 

Sore  Tail  From  the  Crupper 210 

Sore  Feet 227 

Sore  Feet  (see  Corns) 228 

Sore  Shins 193 

Soundness,  How  to  Examine  for . .   234 

Spavin,   Bog 220 

Spavin,  Bone 19(5 

Spavin,  Blood 223 

Speedy  Cut 213 

Spinal  Cord,  Inflammation  of I  To 

Spinitis 175 

Spitting  Out  Food  (see   Paralysis 

of  Gullet) 8S 

Spitting  Out  Food  (see  Diseases  of 

Teeth) 78-81 

Split  Teeth    81 

Splints  Affecting  the  Knee 214 

Splints 192 

Spleen  and  Liver,  Diseases  of 110 

Spleen,  Inflammation  of 112 

Sprain  of  the  Back  Tendons 215 

Sprain  of  Knee 213 

Sprain  of  Fetlock  Joint 215 

Sprain  of  Hock  Joint 222 

Sprain  of  Muscles  of  Hip 211 

Sprain  of  Muscles  on  the  Front  of 
Hind    Leg    Between    Hock    and 

Stiffle 220 

Sprain  of  Musoles  on  Inside  of  Hind 
Leg  Running  Up  From  Hock. . .   220 

Sprain  of  Stiffle  Joint 218 

Staggering,    From   Stomach   Stag- 
gers     1 75 

Staggering,   From    Cerebro-Spinal 

Meningitis 177 

Staggering,  From  Spinitis 175 

Staked 209 

Star  Ga/er 153 

Stable.  How  to  Clean  Diseases  Out 
of  (read  How^  to  Feed  and  Take 

Care  of  a  Horse) 238 

Stiffle  Out 218 

Stiffle  Partly  Out  (see  Partial  Dis- 
location of) , 219 

Stiffle  Joint,  Sprain  of 218 

Stiffness  (see  Rheumatism) 225 


Stiffness  (see  Founder) 225 

Stiffness  (see  Azoturia) 189 

Stiffness  (see  Pleurisy) 71 

Stiff  Neck  (see  Injuries  to  Muscles 

of) 203 

Stiff  Neck  (see  Poll  Evil) 202 

Strikmg  the  Fetlock 216 

Striking  the  Kuee 213 

Stocking    (see     Swelling    of     the 

Limbs) 184 

Stomach  and  Bowels,  Diseases  of. .     90 

Stomach,  Rupture  of 93 

Stones  in  the  Bhuider 117 

Stones.  Inflammation  of I  IS 

Strangles 1 63 

Strangles,  Bastard 1 65 

Stringhalt 179 

Stumbles  (see  Calf  Kneed) 215 

Sunstroke 1 73 

Surfeit 1 69 

Swallow, or  Gullet,  Paralysis  of  the  88 
Swallow, or  Gullet,  Enlargement  ot  89 
Swallow,   Being    Unable    to    (see 

Paralysis  of) S8 

Sweeny 205 

Swelling  Around  Head  and  Throat.     89 
Swelling  Over  Back,  see  Azoturia.    189 
Swelling  Along  Belly  Before  Foal- 
ing      136 

Swelling  After  Castration i45 

Swelling  From  Ruptured  Artery  1G7 
Swelling  on    the    Muscles   of    Hip 

(see  Sprains  of) 21 1 

Swelling   on   Inside   of    Knee  (see 

striking  Knee) 213 

Swelling,  Sore  (see  Abscesses). .  .      311 

Swelling  of  the  Milk  Bag 135 

Swelling  of  the  Vulva  and  Vagina.    134 

Swelling  of  the  Sheath.' 120 

Swelling  of  the  Testicles  (see    In- 
flammation of)   118 

Swelling    of     the     Testicles    (see 

Dropsy  of) 119 

Swelling  of  Legs  (see  Swelling  of 

Limbs) 184 

Swelling  Under   the  Ear  (see  Pa- 
rotid Gland) 86-87 

Tail  Bones,  Fracture  of 210 


404 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


PAGE 

Tail,  Sore,  From  Crupper 210 

Tail,  Rnbbing  (see  rinworrns). . . .    109 

Teeth,  Diseases  of 78 

Teeth,  Decayed  or  Rotten 80 

Teeth,  Sharp  Edges 79 

Teeth,  Split 81 

Teeth,  Wolf  Teeth 79 

Tear-Ducts,  Injuries  to 156 

Testicles,  Itiflamniation  of 118 

Tetanus,  or  Lockjaw 180 

Tetanus,  or   Lockjaw,    After  Cas- 
tration      147 

The    Appearance    of    an    Animal 

Killed  by  Lightning 313 

Thirst  {see  Diabetes) 114 

Thickening    Under    Ear,    Parotid 

Gland 86 

See  Fistulous  Withers 204 

See  Poll  Evil 202 

Thickening  Around  the  Fetlock  . .   217 
Thickening  at  Side  of  Hock  Joint 

(see  Thoroughpin) 221 

Thickening  on  Point  of  Hock  (see 

Capped  Hock)    221 

Thigh  Bones,  Fracture  of 219 

Throat  and  Head,  Swelling  of 89 

Throat,    Lumps    About   (see   Dis- 
temper     163 

Throat,  Sore,  Inflammation  of 63 

Throwing  an  Animal  for  Castration  140 

Thrush,  or  Apthte,  in  Mouth 84 

Thrush  in  Feet 229 

Thoroughpin 221 

Thumps  (see  Spasms  of  Diaphragm )     76 
Thumping  of   Heart  (see   Palpita- 
tion)    186 

Tongue,  Injuries  to 83 

Tongue,  Inflammation  of 83 

Treatment  of  Wounds 199 

Trembling    From     Congestion    of 

Lungs 67 

Trembling  From  Chills 237 

Trembling  From  Inflammation  of 

Lungs 69 

Trembling  From  Pleurisy 71 

Tumors 309 

Tumors  and  Cancers 224 

Tumors,  or  Lumps  on  Shoulder .   .  207 


1  AGE 

Tumors  in  Nose  (see  Nasal  Polypi)     63 
Tumors,   Melanotic,  seen   in   Gray 

Horses 170 

Turning  Out  of  the  Bladder,  or  In- 
version of 117 

Twine  for  Sewing  Up  Wounds. . . .    199 

Udder  (see  Milk  Bag) 13o 

Urine,  Bad,  Receipt  for  (see  Pow- 
ders for  Kidneys) 389 

Urine,   Bloody  (see   Inflammation 

of  Kidnej's) 117 

Urine,  B!oody  (see  Stones  in  Blad- 
der)     117 

Urine,   Bloody   (see  Inflammation 

of  Bladder) 116 

Urine,  Dribbling  of 118 

Urine,  Excessive  Flow  of  (see  Dia- 
betes)     114 

Urinary  Organs,  Diseases  of 113 

Urine,  Stoppage  of  (see  iLflamma- 

tion  of  Kidneys) 113  114 

Urine,  Stoppage  of  (see  Ischuria)..    1 15 
Urine,  Stoppage  of  (see  Paialy&is 

of  Bladder) 118 

Vagina  and  Vulva,  Inflammaiion 

of 134 

Vein,  Inflammation  of 187 

Warts 169 

Warts  Around  the  Sheath 120 

Wasting  Away  of  the  Hip  Muscles 

After  Foaling 210 

Water,  Bad,  Receipt  for  (see  Re- 
ceipt of  Powder  for  Kidneys). . .   389 
Water,  Bloody  (see  Inflammation 

of  Kidneys) 113114 

Water,  Bloody  (see  Inflammation 

of  Bladder 116 

Water,    Bloody    (see     Stones     in 

Bladder) 117 

Water,  Dribbling  of 118 

Water,    Excessive    Flow    of    (see 

Diabetes) 114 

Water  in  Chest 72 

Water  in  the  Bag  (see  Dropsy  of 

Scrotum) 119 

Water,  Farcy  (see  Weed  in  Leg). .    182 
Water,    Stoppage   of   (see  Inflam- 
mation of  Kidneys) 113114 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  the  Horse. 


405 


Water,  Stoppage  of  (see  Ischuria).  115 
Water,  Stoppage  of  (see  Paralysis 

of  Bladder) 118 

Water  in  Belly   (see    Dropsy   of 

Belly) 108 

Weakness  of  the  Legs  and  Joints 

in  a  Foal 139 

Weakness  (see  Knee  Sprung) 214 

Weed  in  the  Leg 182 

Wheat,  Horse  Eating  Too  Much. .  109 

Wheezing  (see  Nasal  Polypi) 63 

Wheezing  (see  Bronchitis) 73 

Whites 121 

Wind,  Broken  (Heaves) 74 

Windgalls 217 

W^ithers,   Sore  (see   Fistulous 

Withers 204 

Womb  or  Foal  Bed  Turned  Out. .  .  132 

Womb,  Rupture  of 132 


Womb,  Inflammation  of 

Wolf  Teeth 

Worm    iu    the    Eye    (see   Filaria 

Oculi) 

Worms,  Pinvvornis 

Worms,  Long  Round      

Wounds  and  Treatment 

Wound  by  Sharp  Stick  (see  Stake<l) 

Wounds,  How  to  Sew  Up 

Wounds,  Modes  of  Healing 

Wounds,  Inflammation  of 

Wounds,  Swelling  of  (see  Inllun- 

mation  of) 

Wounds,  Poisoning  of 

Yard  or  Penis,  Growths  on  the  End 

Yard  or  Penis,  Injuries  of 

Yellows  From  Bilestones 

Yellows  From  Liver 110,  111, 

Yellows  or  Jaundice 


AG  s 

134 

79 

154 
109 
109 
199 
209 
199 
201 
201 

201 
202 
120 
119 
111 
112 
111 


INDEX  PART  IIL 


ANATOMY,   DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF  CATTLE. 


PAGE 

Abortion 281 

Abscesses  That  Only  Contain  Water  311 
Abscesses      That     Only     Contain 

Matter 311 

Actinomycosis 306 

Afterbirth   or   Cleaning — How    to 

Take  It  Away 272 

Air  Under  the  Skin  Caused  Fcom 

a  Wound 202 

Animal  Killed  by  Lightning   313 

Anatomy  or  Structure  of  the  O.^c. .   243 

Angry  Growths  (see  Cancer) 310 

Anthrax 307 

Apple,  Choking  From 254 

Arteries,  Diseases  of 315 

Austrian  Fly  (see  Horn  Fly) 294 

Backbones,  Fracture  of 289 

Back  Teeth,  Sharp 252 

Bad  Disorder  in  Bulls  (see  Clap). .   283 

Bag  of  Cow 247 

J3alls   of   Hair   in   the    Rumen  or 

Paunch 2u9 


Barley  Beards  in  E3'e  (see  Foreign 

Substances  in) 287 

Barrenness  in  Cows  and  Bulls. . . .   281 

Bellyache  (see  Colic) 262 

Belly  Very  Large  (see  Dropsy). .  . .  264 
Binder    Twine   in   the    Pvuinen  or 

Paunch 2-^9 

Bites  From  Frost 295 

Bites  Fiom  Insects,  Small  Snakes, 

Hornets,  etc 295 

Bites  From  a  Snake 295 

Black  Quarter 30:-» 

Bleed,  How  to 299 

Bloating 255 

Blood,  Diseases  of 315 

Bloody  Flux 262 

Bloody  Milk 278 

Bloody  Uriue 2C6 

Blue  Milk 279 

Boue,  Choking  From 254 

Bones,  Fracture  of 288 

Bones,  Fractured  Above  the  StitUe 

Juint 291 


406 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Cattle. 


PAOE 

Bones  Fractured  Below  the  Stiffle 

Joint '291 

Bowels 2-lG 

Bowels,  Inflammation  of 263 

Bowels  Not   Working  (see  Consti- 
pation)    263 

Brain,  Inflammation  of 301 

Breathing  Heavy  After  Being  Driv- 
en or  Chased  (see  Bronchitis) . . .   251 

Breathing  Organs 247 

Broken  Neck 288 

Bronchitis 25 1 

Bronchitis,   Filaria .   i249 

Bulls,  Barren 281 

Bulls,  How  to  Castrate 283 

Bulls,  How  to  Ring 285 

Burns  and  Scalds 295 

Caked   Bag  (see  Inflammation   of 

Milk  Bag) ,  ..   276 

Calf  Not  Coming  Right  (see  Trouble 

Met  With  at  Calving  Time 269 

Calves,  How  to  Castrate 283 

Calf  Bed  Turned  Out 270 

Calving,  Diseases  After 267 

Calving,  Troubles  Met  With 267 

Cancer 310 

Cancer  in  the  Eye   286 

Caps  on  Teeth 253 

Caries — Decayed  Teeth 252 

Carrot,  Choking  From 254 

Castration  of  Bulls  and  Calves 283 

Cataract  of  the  Eye 287 

Catarrh,  or  Cold  in  the  Head 24S 

Cattle  Bitten  By  a  Mad  Dog  (read 

Hydrophobia) 305 

Cattle,  Contagious  Diseases  of . . . .   303 
Cattle,  Diseases  and  Treatment. , .   248 

Cattle  Killed  by  Lightning 313 

Cattle,  Lice  on  Them 293 

Cattle,  Madness  in 305 

Cattle   Rubbing    Themselves   (see 

Lice 293 

Chafifin  the  Eyes  (see  Foreign  Sub- 
stances . . ; 287 

Chapped  or  Sore  Teats 279 

Cheeks 244 

Chewing  Cud,  How  It  Is  Ptrforuied  240 


Choking 

Clap 

Cleaning   of   Cow,    How   to  Take 


A<!E 

254 

2s:i 


Clogging  of   Food   in   r.uineh  (see 

Impaction  of) 

Closure  of  the  Neck  of  the  Womb 

at  Calving  Time 

Cold  in  Head  or  Catarrh 

Cold  in  Throat  (sec  Sore  Throat).  . 

Colic 

Constipation  of  the  Bowels 

Contagious  Diseases 

Contagious  Pleuro-Pneuniouia. . .  . 

Consumption 

Cough  (read  Sore  Throat) 

Cough  (read  Consumption) 

Cough     (read      Inflammation      of 

Lungs 

Cough  (read  Pleurisy) 

Corn  Stalk  Disease 

Cow  Calving,  Troubles  Met  With. 

Cow,  Barren 

Cow,  Discharge  From  Wound  (see 

Whites) 

Cow,  Giving   Milk,   How   to  Dry 

Her  Up 

Cow,  How  to  Bleed 

Cow,  Falling  oft'  in  Condition  (see 

Impaction 

Cow,  How  to  Tell  When  With  Calf 
Cow  in  Sivere  Pain  (see  Colic).  .  .. 

Cow  Losing  Her  Cal  f 

Cow,  Mad  (see  llyilrophobia) 

Cow  Not    Able  to    Q-eX    Up    (see 

Paralysis  Before  Calving 

Cow  Not  Able  to  Open  Her  Mouth 

(see  Lockjaw) 

Cow  Not  Cleaning  Right,  How  to 

Take  It  Away 

Cow  Pox 

Cow    Yellow    Around     Eyes    (see 

Jaundice) 

Cranipi  in  Bowels  (see  Colic) 

Cud,  How  It  Is  Chewed 

Cud,  Throwing  It  Up  (see  Vomit- 

ine) .  


2(;r> 

248 

249 

o<;  > 

2g;{ 
ou:\ 

303 

304 
2-19 

304 


250 
251 
3()() 
209 
281 


314 

299 

2G0 
269 
262 
2S1 
30.5 

268 

302' 


280 

2G.> 
262 

2;G 


INDEX— Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Cattle. 


407 


PACE 

Cuts  of  the  Teats 280 

Cuts  of  All  Kinds  (see  Wounds  of 

All  Kinds) 292 

Decayed  Teeth 252 

Dehorning 29S 

Diarrhoea 2(51 

Diarrhoea    in    Calves   (see   White 

Scowers) , 266 

Digestive  Organs,  Diseases  of 252 

Digestive  Organs  of  the  Ox 244 

Discharge   From   the   Womb  {see 

W- hites) 273 

Disease  After  Calving 267 

Drench,  How  to 300 

Dropsy  of  the  Belly 264 

Dropsy  of  the  Womb  Before  Calv- 
ing     268 

Dry    Murrain    (see   Impaction    of 

Manyplies) 260 

Dysentery 262 

Ear  and  Eye,  Diseases  of 286 

Encephalitis  301 

Enteritis 263 

Ergotism 313 

Eye  and  Ear,  Diseases  of 286 

Eye,  Cancer  in 286 

Eyelids,  Injuries  to 288 

Fardelbound    (see     luipaction    of 

Manyplies) 260 

Eeet,  Soreness  of  lioui  Any  Cause  296 
I'estering  Below  the  Ear  (see  In- 
flammation of  Parotid  Gland)  . .   253 

Eilaria  Bronchitis 249 

Fistula  of  the  Foot 297 

Fistula,,  or  Running  oore 312 

Fistula  of  the  Teat 280 

Flagged  Bag  (see  Inflammation  of 

Milk  Bag) , 276 

FlukeiDraease  in  Cattle  and  Sheep  265 
Fly,  Littile  Flies  About  Horns  and 

Body  (sec  Horn  Fly) 294 

Foal  Bed  Turned  Out 270 

Food  Cuming  Out  of  Mouth  (see 

Vomiting) 258 

Foot,  Fistula  of 297 

Foot,  Nail  Run  in 298 

Foot,  lUt 290 

Foreign  Substances  in  the  Eye. .  .  .   287 


FACE 

Foul  in  the  Foot 296 

Founder 296 

Fourth  Part  of  Stomach,  Inflam- 
mation of , 261 

Fractured  Bones,  Wounds,  Sprains 

of  Joints  and  Tendons 288 

Fractured  Bones 288 

Fracture  of  Lower  Jaw 288 

Fracture  of  the  Back  Bones 289 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  Above  and 

Below  the  Stiflie 291 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  Be'ow  the 

Hock  Joint 291 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  Below  the 

Knee 290 

Fracture  of  the  Bones  of  the  Hip..  289 
Fracture  of  the  Bones,  Neck  Bones  288 

Fracture  of  the  Bones,  Ribs 290 

Fracture  of  the  Bones,    Shoulder 

Blade,  or  Shoulder  Bone 290 

C4arget 276 

Genital  Organs,  Diseases  of 282 

Genital  Organs  of  the  Cow 247 

Genital  Organs  of  the  Bull 248 

Glands  Around  the  Throat 244 

Gonorrhoea 283 

Growths,  Angry  Looking  (see  Can- 
cer)    310 

Growths  in  the  Corner  of  the  Eye 

(see  H.iw) .   2S7 

Growths  on  the  Haw  of  the  Eye.  .   287 
Growths  in  the  Eye  (see  Cancer  in 

Eye) 286 

Grunting   (see   Impaction    of    the 

Rumen  or  Paunch) 256 

Gullet,  or  Throat  (see  Pharynx)  ...  244 

Guts  (see  Bowels) 246 

Hair  Balls  in  the  Rumen 259 

Hair   Falling   Oil'    in    Circles  (see 

Ringworm) 294 

Hard  on  Left  Side  (see  Impaction 

of  Paunch) 256 

Haw  of  the  Eye,  Growths  on 287 

Heart,  Diseases  of ...  315 

Hide-Bound  (is  not  a  Disease  but 
a  Symptom  of  Impaction  of 
Manyplies) 2C0 


408 


INDEX— Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Cattle. 


TAGE 

Hind  Qaarlers,  Paralysis  of  Before 

Calving  <*. 208 

Hip  Bones,  Fracture  of 289 

Hollow  Horn  (is  not  a  Disease,  is 
same  as  Impaction  of  Manyplies)  260 

Horn  Fly , 294 

Hoven,  or  Bloating 255 

How  to  Bleed  a  Cow 299 

How  to  Drench  a  Cow 300 

How    to   Dry  an   Animal   That  Is 

Giving  Milk 314 

How  to   Perform  the  Operation  of 

Rumenotomy 258 

How  to  Prevent  Milk  Fever  Fiom 

Coming  On 276 

How  to  Ring  a  Bull 285 

How  to  Take  the  defining  Away..  272 
How  to  Tell  When  a  Cow  Is  With 

Calf 267 

How  Rumination,  or  Chewing  the 

Cud,  Is  Performed 246 

Hydrophobia  In  Cattle 305 

Impaction   of    the  Manyplies,    or 

Third  Part  of  the  Stomach 260 

Impaction     of     the     Rumen,     or 

Paunch 256 

Inflamniaiion  of  the  Bowels 263 

Inflammation  of  the  Brain 301 

Inflammation  of  the  Lining  of  the 

Belly  Cavity 204 

Inflammation  of  the  Lining  of  the 
Chest  Cavity  (see  Pleurisy)  ....  251 

Inflammation  of  the  Lungs 250 

Inflammation  of  the  Milk  Bag 276 

Inflammation  of  the  Parotid  Gland  253 
Inflammation  of   the   Testicles   in 

Bulls 282 

Inflammation  of  the  Womb 272 

Injuries  to  the  Eyelids 28S 

Injuries  to  the  Sheath  and  Penis. .  283 

Intestines  (see  Bowels) 246 

Jaundice  in  Cattle   265 

Jaw  Bone,   Lump  On  (see  Lumpy 

Jaw 306 

Jaw  Bone,  Lumps  On,  From  Teeth 

or  an  In j  ury 253 

Kidneys  (see  the  Urinaiy  Organs).  217 


P/.(iB 

Ivnee  Bone?,  Fracture  of 290 

Laminitis 290 

Leucorrho3a,  or  V/hitcs 273 

I^ioe  on  Cattle    , .   203 

Lightning,  Struck  By 312 

Lightning,  Killed,  the  Apptarantc 

of  After 310 

Lining  of  the  Belly, Inflammation  of  264 

Lips 24  i 

Liver 240 

Liver,  Diseased  (see  Fluke  Disease)  265 

Lockjaw o  >2 

Lower  Jaw,  Fracture  of 283 

Lump   on   Inside   of    Hock   Joint 

(see  Spavin) 291 

Lumps  In  Passage  of  Teat 277i 

Lumps  on  the  Jaw  Bone  From  the 

Teeth  or  an  Injury '253 

Lumpy  Jaw 306 

Lungs,  Inflammation  of 250 

Lungs  (see  Respiratory  Oigans). . .   247 

Madness  In  Cattle 305 

Maggots  In  Neglected  Wounds. . .   202 

Mammary  Glands 247 

Mange  In  Cattle 294 

Mangel,  Choking  From 25  i 

Manyplies,  Impaction  of 260 

Metritis  or  Inflammation  of  Womb  272 

Milk  Bag 247 

Milk,  Bloody 27S 

Milk,  Blue 279 

Milk  Fever 274 

Milk  Fever,   How  to  Prevent   It 

Coming  On 270 

Milk,    Falling   Off  in   One  Night 

(see  Impaction  of  Rumen) 256 

Milk,  How  to  Dry  Up  a  Cow 314 

Milk,  Stringy 279 

Milk,  Stopped    (see   Small  Lumps 

in  Teat) 277 

Milk,  Stopped  (see  Inflammation  of 

Milk  Bag) 276 

Milk,  Stopped   (see  Impaction   of 

Rumen) 256 

Milk,  Stopped  (see  Milk  Fever). . .  274 
Mouth,   Not   Able   to    Open    (see 

Lockjaw) 302 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatvient  of  Cattle. 


409 


Nail  Run  iu  the  Foot 

Neck  of  the  Womb  Closed  at  Calv- 
ing Time 

Nerves,  Diseases  of 

Nuts,  Bulls  (see  Testicles) 

Qi^sophagus,  or  Swallow 

Orchitis,  Inflammation  of  Testicles 

Organs  of  Digestion  in  the  Ox ... . 

Ovaries , 

Ox,  Anatomy  of . , 

Ox,  How  It  Chews  Its  Cud 

Ox,  Skeleton  of 

Panting  After  Being  Chased  or 
Driven  (see  Bronchitis) 

Paralysis  After  Calving 

Paralysis  After  Calving  (see  Milk 
Fever) 

ParalyLis    From    Any    Cause     Is 

Treated  Same  as  Paralysis  After 

Calving 

Paralysis  (see  Sunstroke) 

Paralysis  of  Hind  Quarters  Before 
Calving 

Parturient  Apoplexy  or  Milk 
Fever 

Passage  Out  From  Wound,  Rup- 
ture of 

Passing  Blood  (see  Bloody  Flux). . 

Paunch,  Hair  Balls  in 

Paunch,  Impaction  of  With  Food. 

Paunch,  Twine  Ball  in 

Penis,  Bulls  (read  Genital  Organs 
of  Bull) 

Penis,  Injuries  to 

Peritonitis 

Pharynx,  Gullet  or  Throat 

Physic  (see  Diarrhoea) 

Pink  Eye  in  Cattle  (same  as  Pink 
Eye  in  Horses) 

Pleurisy 

Placenta,  or  Cleaning,  Not  Coming 
Away,  How  to  Take  It  Away . 

Potato,  Choking  From 

Pneumonia,  Inflammation  of  Lungs 

Quarter  111  (see  Black  Quarter)   . . 

Rabies 

Red  Water 

Respiratory  or  Breathing  Organs . 


ACE 

PAGE 

298 

Rheumatism 

292 

Ribs,  Fracture  of      

'>90 

9m 

Rig  or  Original  Bulls 

'?85 

300 

Ringworm 

994 

248 

Rubbing  (see  Lice  on  Cattle) 

293 

244 

Rubbing  (see  Mange) 

294 

282 

Rumen,  Hair  Balls  in 

2.59 

244 

Rumen,  Twine  Balls  in 

259 

247 

Rumen,  Impaction  of  With  Food. 

256 

243 

Rumination,     How     It     Is     Per- 

246 

formed  

246 

240 

Rumenotomy,  How  to  Perform  It. 

258 

Running  Sore 

312 

251 

Running  Sore  in  Foot  (see  Fistula)  297 

274 

Rupture  of  the  Womb  or  Passage 

Out  From 

970 

274 

Scalds 

095 

Scowers    (see   White   Scowers    in 

Calves) 

''66 

274 

Scowers  in  Cattle  (see  Diarrhoea). 

261 

302 

Scum  on  the  Eye  (see  Sore  Eyes). 

287 

Scum  (see  Cataract  of  the  Eye). .  . 

287 

268 

Severe  Pain  in  Cattle  (see  Colic). . 

262 

Sharp  Molars,  or  Back  Teeth 

252 

274 

Sheath  Swelling  in  Steers 

Shoulder  Blade,  or  Shoulder  Bone 

285 

270 

Fractured  . . 

290 

262 

Shoulder,  Bruises  of  (see  Abscesses) 

311 

259 

Skeleton  of  the  Ox 

240 

256 

Skin,  Air  Under,  Caused  From  a 

259 

Wound 

oqo 

Skin,  Diseases  of 

293 

248 

Slavering 

opiQ 

283 

Small  Growths  on  the  Skin 

293 

264 

Small    Lumps    in    the    Skin   (see 

244 

Warbles) 

295 

261 

Small  Round  Lumps  in  the  Pas- 

sage of  the  Teat , . 

977 

165 

Small  Warts  on  the  Teats 

280 

251 

Snake  Bites 

Sore   Eyes   in    Cattle    From   Any 

295 

272 

Cause  (see  Foreign  Substances  in) 

287 

254 

Soreness  From  the  Feet,  From  Any 

250 

Cause 

''96 

308 

Soreness    From      the      Feet    (see 

305 

Founder) 

296 

266 

Soreness  Around  Chest  (see  Pleur- 

247 

isy)  . . 

251 

410 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Cattle. 


Sore  Thn.at 249 

Sore  Teats  (see  Chapped  Teats).  .     279 

Sore  Teats  (see  Cow-Pox) 280 

Sore  Teats  (see  Cat  on  Teats) 280 

Sore,  or  Inflamed  Eyes 287 

Sore,  Running    312 

Spavin 291 

Spitting  Food  Out  of  Mouth — 

See  Decayed  Teeth 2o2 

See  Sharp  Molars 252 

See  Caps  on  Teeth 253 

Sprains  in  Any  Part  of  Animal. . ..  291 
Steers,  the   Point   of   the   Sheath 

Swollen 2S5 

Stiffle  Out  in  Cattle 291 

Stomach  of  Ox 244 

Stomach,  Fourth  Part,  Inflamma- 
tion of 261 

Stones,  BulL  (see  Testicles) 248 

Stones,  or  Testicles  Not  Down  (see 

Rig  Bulls) 285 

Stoppage  in  the  Stomach  (see  Im- 
paction of) 256 

Stoppage  of  the  Bowels  (see  Con- 
stipation)    263 

Stringy  Milk 279 

Struck  With  Lightning 312 

Structure  (see  Anatomy  of  Ox). ...  243 

Swallow,  or  (Esophagus 244 

Swelling   Around    Shoulders    (see 

Abscesses) 311 

Swelling,    Crackling    When    You 

Rub  It  (see  Air  Under  Skin)  ...  292 
Swelling  Below  the  Ear  (see  In- 
flammation of  Parotid  Gland) . .   253 
Swelling  of  Milk  Bag  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  Milk  Bag) 276 

Swelling   of    Point   of    Sheath   in 

Steers 285 

Swollen  on  Left  Side  (see  Bloating)  255 
Swollen  (see   Impaction   of   Stom- 
ach)    256 

Sunstroke 302 

Tail  Dropping  Off  (see  Ergotism)..  313 

Tapeworm  in  Cattle 264 

Tapping  for  Bloating  (read  Treat- 
ment for  Bloatiug) 255 

Teats,  Small  Lumps  in  Passage. ..  277 

Teats,  Waits  on 280 

Teeth • 214 


Teeth,  Caps  on 

Teeth,  Sharp  (see  Sharp  Molars). . 
Testicles  Not  Down  (see  Rig  Bulls) 

Testicles  of  Bull 

Tetanus 

Texa    Fever 

Third  Part   of   the   Stomach,  Im- 
paction of 

Throat  or  Pharynx 

Throat  Sore,  Cold  in 

Throwing  Up  Food  (see  Vomiting) 

Tongue 

Troubles  Met  With  While  Calving 

Troubles  in  Calving 

Tuberculosis 

Tumors 

Turning  Out  of  the  Vagina  or  Pas- 
sage Leading  From  the  Womb.  . 

Turnip,  (Jhoking  From 

Twine    Ball    in    the     Rumen    or 

Paunch  

Tympanitis  or  Bloating 

Udder  (see  Bag) 

Urinary  Organs 

Urine  Red  (see  Red  Water) 

Uterus  or  Womb 

Vomiting 

Warbles 

Warts  on  the  Skin 

Warts  on  the  Teats 

Water,    or    Urine,    Red   (see  Red 
Water) 

Wheezing  (see  Filaria  Bronchitis). 

Wheezing  (see  Bronchitis) 

White  Scowers  in  Calves 

Whites,  Leucorrh(pa 

Womb,  Dropsy  of  Before  Calving. 

Womb,    Neck   Closed   at  Calving 
Time. . . ! 

Womb  of  Cow 

Womb,  Passage  From  Turned  Oat 

Womb,  Rupture  of 

Womb  Turned  Out  Aftor  Calving. 

Worms  in  Liver  (see  Fluke  Disease) 

Wound,  Maggots  in 

Wounds  of  All  Kinds 

Yard,  Bulls  (read  (Jjiiital  Organs 
of  Bull) 

Y'^ellows  


PAGE 

.  253 
.  252 
285 
24S 
302 
308 

260 
244 
249 
258 
244 
269 
267 
304 
309 

270 
254 

259 
255 
247 
247 
266 
247 
258 
2')5 
293 
280 


266 
249 
251 
266 
273 
268 

209 
247 
270 
270 
270 
265 
292 
29J 

248 
2i.:> 


INDEX 


PART  IV. 


DISEASES  AND  TREATMENT  OF   SHEEP,    PIGS, 
DOGS  AND   POULTPvV. 


SHEEP. 


Afterbirth  Not  Coming  Away  (see 

Cleaning  Not  Coming  Away).  .  .    333 
Bag  Mortified  (see  Inflammation  of 

Milk  Bag) .   334 

Bag  Swollen  in  Rams  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  Testicles) 330 

Bag  Swollen  (see  Inflammation  of 

Milk  Bag) 334 

Bellyache  (see  Colic) 3-3 

Bloating 321 

Bowels,  Inflammation  of 323 

Breathing  Heavy  (see  Bronchitis) 

317-318 
Breathing   Heavy  (see   Inflamma- 
tion of  Lupgs) 319 

Broken  Legs  in  Lambs  and  Sheep.  329 

Bronchitis 317 

Bronchitis,  Filaria 318 

Caked   Bag   (see   Inflammation  of 

Bag) 334 

t;aps  on  Teeth 320 

Catarrh,  Simple 316 

Chased  by  Dogs  (see  Bronchitis).  .   317 

Choking  in  Sheep 320 

Cleaning  Not  Coming  Away 333 

Cold  in  Head 316 

Colic  in  Sheep 323 

Constipation  in  Young  Lambs ....   335 

Coughing  (see  Choking) 320 

Coughing  (see  Sore  Throat) 317 

Cramps  (see  Colic) 323 

Cud,  Not  Chewing  (see  Impaction 

of  First  Stomach) 322 

Cutting  Lamb's  Tails 33 1 

Diarrhcea  in  Lambs 336 

Diarrhcea  in  Sheep 32S 

Dogs    Chasing    Sheep    (see   Bron- 
chitis)    317 

Dogs  Chasing  Sheep  (see  Wounds)  343 
Eyes,  Sore 329 


Feet,  Sore  (see  Foot  Rot  in  .Siieep). 

Filar  ia  Bronchitis .' 

Fluke  Disease  in  Sheep 

Foot  Rot  in  Sheep 

Fractured  Legs 

Garget 

Grating  Teeth  (.see  Iinpaelion  of 
First  Stomach) 

Grub  in  the  Head  of  Slitep. 

Grunting  (see  ImpdcLn^n  of  First 
Stomach) 

Head,  Grub  in  (see  Grub  in  Head). 

How  to  Cut  or  Castrate  Rams. . . . 

Impaction  of  First  Stomach 

Inflammation  of  the  Lungs 

Inflammation  of  the  Bowels 

Inflammation  of  the  Milk  Bag .... 

Inflammation  of  the  Testicles  in 
Rams 

Lamb  Bed  Turned  Out 

Lamb,  Constipation  in 

Lamb,  Diarrhcea  in 

Lamb,  Weakness  in 

Lambing 

Lambing,  Signs  of 

Lambing,  Troubles  Met  With  in.. 

Lambs,  How  to  Cut  tiieir  Tails. .. 

Legs  Broken 

Liver  Diseased  (see  Fluke  Disease). 
Lungs,  Inflammation  of 

Maggots  in  Wounds  of  Sheep  .... 

Manure,  White  Spots  in  (see  Tape- 
worm)   

Milk  Bag  Mortified  (see  Inflamma- 
tion of) 

Milk  Bag,  Inflammation  of 

Mortification  of  ^lilk  Bag  (see  In- 
flammation of  Milk  Bag) 

Mouth,  ^^'ood  or  Auylhirg  Else 
Caui^ht  in 


Af.E 

336 
318 
323 
336 
329 
334 


322 
325 


322 
32.> 
330 
322 
31& 
323 
334 

330 
33a 
335 
336 
335 
331 
331 
332 
331 
329 
325 
319 
32S 

324 


334 
334 

334 

320 


412 


INDEX—  Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Sheep. 


Nose,    Running   at    (see    Cold    in 

Head) 316 

Old  Sheep  Losing  Their  Teeth ....   320 

Pain,  Severe  (see  Colic) 323 

Pain,  Severe  (see  Inflammation  of 

Bowels) 323 

Pieces  of   Wood  or   Anything   in 

Mouth) 320 

Placenta  or  Cleaning  Not  Coming 

Away 333 

Pleurisy     (see     Inflammation     of 

Lungs) 319 

Pneumonia    (see   Inflammation   of 

Lungs) 319 

Rrms,  How  to  Cut  or  Castrate. . ..  330 

Running  at  Nose  (see  Catarrh) 316 

Scab  in  Sheep. 327 

Scowers  [see  diarrhoea] 328 

Sheep  Choking 320 

Sheep  Chased  by  Dogs  (see  Bron- 
chitis)      317 

Sheep,  Fluke  Disease 325 

vShecp  Lambing 331 

Sheep,  Losing  Their  Teeth 320 

Sheep,  Maggots  in  Wounds 328 

Sheep,  Not  Eating  (see  Impaction 

of  First  Stomach) 322 

Sheep,    Old,    Failing   (see    Losing 

Their  Teeth) 320 

Sh-jp,  Scab  in  Skin 327 


Sheep,  Ticks 328 

Sheep,  Wool  Falling  Off  (see.\jcab 

iu  Sheep) 327 

Sheep,  Wool  Falling  Off  (see  Wool 

Failing  Off  in  Spring) 327 

Signs  of  Lambing 33 1 

Simple  Catarrh 316 

Slavering  at  Mouth  (see  Choking).  320 

Snuffling  (see  Cold  in  Head) 316 

fcore  Eyes  in  Sheep 329 

Sore  Feet  (see  Foot  Rot  in  Sheep).  336 

Sore  Throat 317 

Swelling  (see  Bloating) 321 

Tapeworm  in  Lambs  and  Sheep. . .   .324 

Teeth,  Troubles  of 320 

Testicles,  Inflammation  of  in  Rams  330 

Throat,  Sore 317 

Throat  Swollen  (see  Sore  Throat)..  317 

Ticks  on  Sheep 328 

Troubles  Met  With  in  Lambing. . .   332 

Tympanitis 321 

VA  eakness  in  Young  Lambs 335 

Wheezing  (see  Bronchitis^ 317 

White  Spots  in  Manure  (see  Tape- 
worm)    324 

Womb  Turned  Out  (see  Lamb  Bed 

Turned  Out) 3.33 

Wool  Falling  Off  in  the  Spring. ...  327 

Wounds,  Maggots  in 328 

Young  Lambs,  Diseases  of 335 


PIGS. 


PAGE 

Acute  Indigf-stion 338 

Back  Bowel  Turned  Out 341 

Back  Broken  in  Pigs 347 

Barking  in  Pigs  (see  Sore  Throat).  338 

Black  Teeth  in  Young  Pigs 345 

Blind  Staggers 342 

Bloated  (see  Acute  Indigestion). . .  338 

Boars,  How  to  Castrate 344 

Bound    Up   (see    Constipation    in 

Pigs) 340 

Bowels,  Back  One  Turned  Out 341 

Bowels  Not   Working  (see  Consti- 
pation)    340 

Broken  Back  in  Pigs 347 

Broken  Legs  in  Pigs 346 


PAGE 

Castratinc; 344 

Choking 337 

Chronic  Indigestion. 339 

Convulsions   in    Young   Pigs   (see 

Fits  in  Young  Pigs) 351 

Constipation  in  Pigs 340 

Coughing  (see  Sore  Throat) 338 

Coughing  (see  Choking) 337 

Cuts  or  Wounds  of  Any  Kind. . . .   343 

Diarrhoea 341 

Difficulties  With  Sows  in  Pigging.  348 
Diseased  Milk  Glands  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  the  Milk  Glands). , . .   350 
Edt   Too    Much   of   Any   Kind  of 
Food  (see  Acute  Indigestion). . .   338 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Pigs. 


413 


PAGE 

Fits  in  Pigs  (see  Worms) 341 

Fits  in  Young  Pigs  From  Worms.   351 

Founder,  or  Sore  Feet  in  Pigs 343 

Fracture  of  a  Pig's  Leg 346 

Garget 350 

Hog  Cholera 347 

How  to  Cut  or  Castrate  Pigs 344 

How  to  Cut  or  Castrate  Pigs  That 

Are  Ruptured  in  the  Bag 345 

How  to  Ring  a  Pig 351 

Indigestion,  Acute 338 

Indigestion,  Chronic 339 

Inflammation  of  the  Milk  Glands.   350 

Leg  Broken 346 

Lice  on  Pigs 346 

Little  Pigs  Sick  (see  Black  Teeth).  345 

Little  Pigs  Sick  (see  Worms) 341 

Milk  Fever   349 

Milk  Glands  Mortified  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  Milk  Glands) 350 

Paralyzed  Pig  (see  Broken  Back 

in  Pigs) 347 

Paralyzed  Pigs  (see  Blind  Staggers)  342 

Pig  Bed  Turned  Out 350 

Pig,  Blue  Aroimd  Head  and  Ears 

(see  Blind  Staggers) 342 

Pig,  How  to  Cut  or  Castrate 344 

Pig,  How  to  Ring 351 

Pig's  Leg,  Fracture  of 346 

Pigs,  Lice  on .  .    .      346 

Pigs,  Little  Ones  Sick  (see  Black 

Teeth) 345 

Pigs,  Little  Ones  Sick  (see  Worms)  341 
Pigging,  Difficulties  Met  With. .  .  348 
Pig,    Not   Able    to   Get    Up  (see 

Broken  Back) 347 

Pig,   Not   Able    to    Get   Up   (see 

Blind  Staggers) 342 

Pigs  Paralyzed  (see  Blind  Staggers)  342 
Pigs  Paralyzed  (see  Broken  Back) .  347 
Pigs  Ruptured,  How  to  Castrate . .   345 


Pigs    Very    Stiff    and    Sore    (see 

Founders  or  Sore  Feet) 343 

Pigs  Very  Stupid  and  Not  Eating 

(see  Blind  Staggers) 342 

Pigs  With  Broken  Back 347 

Pigs,    Young    Ones,    Fits     From 

Worms 351 

Rectum  or  Back  Bowel  Turned  Out  341 

Ring  Pigs,  How  to 351 

Ruptured  in  the  Bag,  How  to  Cas- 
trate Them 345 

Scowers  (see  Diarrhtea) 341 

Sore  Feet 343 

Sores  (see  Wounds) . .  343 

Sore  Throat    338 

Sows     Pigging,    DifBculties     Met 

With 348 

Sow's  Teats  Mortified  (see  Inflam- 
mation of  the  Milk  Glands)  ....   350 
Sows  That  Won't  Give  Milk  After 

Pigging  (see  Milk  Fever) 349 

Sows    Very    Sick    After   Pigging, 
(Always  Look  for  Milk  Fever). .   349 
(Also,     Inflammation    of     Milk 

Glands) 350 

Sow,  Very   Sore   Along   the  Milk 
Glands,     (see    Inflammation    of 

Milk  Glands) = 350 

Sows  With  Milk  Fever 349 

Stiffness  and  Soreness  (see  Founder)  343 
Stoppage  in  the  Bowels  (see  Con- 
stipation)    340 

Stunted 339 

Stupidness  (see  Blind  Staggers). ..  342 
Swollen     Belly     (see     Acute     In- 
digestion)   338 

Water  Running  Out  of  the  Mouth 

(see  Choking) 337 

Womb  Turned  Out 350 

Worms 341 

Wounds  or  Cuts  of  Any  Kind ....   343 


4M 


INDEX — Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Dogs,  Poultry. 


DOGS. 


PAGE 

Arsenic  Poison 358 

Bitch,  How  to  Spay 360 

Bound  Up  (see  Constipation) 355 

Breedins;  Pups  and  Troubles  Met 

With 359 

Broken  Bones  in  Dogs 358 

Cancer   in    Eye    (see    Growths   in 

Eye) 354 

Canker  in  the  Ear 353 

Chorea .  357 

Constipation  in  Dogs 355 

Cuts  of  Any  Kind 354 

Deafness 353 

Diarrhoea 355 

Distemper 356 

Discharge    from    Eyes    (see    Dis- 
temper)   356 

Dog    Trembline;    or   Jerking  (see 

Chorea) 357 

Dogs,  Constipated  or  Bound  Up. .   355 
Dogs,  How  to  Cut  or  Castrate. . . .   360 

Ear,  Canker  in 353 

Enlargement  of  the  Eye 354 

Eye,  Growth  in 354 

Eyes,  Sore 354 

Eyes,  Water  Running  From  (see 

Distemper) , 356 

Fleas 353 

Fractured  Bones  in  Dogs 358 

Growths  in  the  Eye 354 

Hair  Falling  Off  (see  Mange) 352 

Hard  of  Hearing  (see  Deafness) . . .   .353 

Hide  Bound  (see  Worms) 356 

How  to  Castrate  a  Dog 360 

How  to  Cut  Pups'  Tails ,   360 

How  to  Get  Bitch  Pups — read 359 

How  to  Get  Dog  Pups — read 359 

How  to  Spay  a  Bitch 360 

Hydrophobia, ,,,...,, 357 

Itchy,  see  Fleas , 353 


Itchy  (see  Mange) 

Jerking,  Dog  (see  Chorea) 

Lumps  in  the  Skin  (see  Tumors).  . 
Leg  Broken  (see  Fractured  Bones) 

Lice  on  Dog  (see  Fleas) 

Mad  Dog 

Mad  Dog  (see  Dog  Poisoned) 

Mange 

Poisoned 

Pups,  How  to  Breed 

Pup's  Tails,  How  to  Cut 

Pupping,     Troubles     Met     With 

While 

Rabies 

Rat  Poison 

Red  Eyes  (see  Sore  Eyes) 

Running  Sore  in  Head  (see  Canker 

in  Ear) " 

Scratching  (see  Fleas) 

Scratching  (see  Mange) 

Scowers  (see  Diarrhcoa) 

Skin  Irritated  (see  Mange) 

Skin  Raw  (see  Mange) 

Sore  Eyes 

Sore  in  Head  (see  Canker  in  Ear)  . 

Sores  (see  Wounds  or  Cuts) 

Spay  a  Bitch,  How  to 

Straining  (see  Constipation) 

Strangles  (see  Distemper) 

Strychnine  Poison 

Swelling  on  the  Skin  (see  Tumors) 

Tails  on  Pups,  How  to  Cut 

Trembling  Dog  (see  Chorea) 

Troubles  at  Pupping  Time 

Tumors  or  Growths  on  Skin 

Wax  in  Ear  (see  Deafness) 

White     Spots     in     Manure     (see 

Worms) 

Worms 

Wounds  or  Cuts  of  Any  Kind  .... 


AOE 

352 
357 
355 
358 
353 
357 
358 
352 
358 
359 
300 


,359 
357 
35S 
354 

353 
353 
352 
355 
352 
352 
354 
353 
3:)4 
360 
3.15 
356 
358 
3.55 
360 
357 
359 
355 
353 


356 
356 
354 


POULTRY. 


PAGE 

Big  Head  in  Turkeys 366 

Canker 364 

Cholera 364 

Crop  Bound 365 

Diseases  and  Treatment  of  Poultry  362 


Gapes 365 

Hen  Lice   in   Hen   House   and  on 

Hens 363 

Leg  Weakness 365 

Roup 362 

Scaly  Legs 305 


INDEX  PART  V. 


MEDICINES  AND  RECEIPTS. 


MEDiCSNEIS. 


PAGE 

Aconite 367 

Acohol 367 

Aloes 368 

Alum 368 

Ammonia 369 

Aniseed 369 

Arnica 369 

Arsenic 369 

Belladonna 370 

Black  Antimony 370 

Butter  of  Antimony 370 

Benzoin 371 

Bromide  of  Potassium 371 

•  Biniodid    of    Mercury   (Red   Pre- 
cipitate)    371 

Buckthorn 371 

Camphor , .   372 

Cantharides,  or  Spanish  Fly 372 

Carbolic  Acid 372 

Castor  Oil 373 

Catechu 373 

Calomel 373 

Croton  Oil 374 

Chlorate  of  Potash 374 

Caustic  Potash 374 

Chloride  of  Zinc 375 

Creolin 375 

Crude  Petroleum  Oil 375 

Digitalis 375 

Gamboge 376 

Gentian • 376 

Ginger 376 


PAG  I 

Hyposulphite  of  Soda 377 

Iodine   377 

Iodide  of  Potassium 377 

Lime 377 

Linseed 378 

Laudanum 378 

Monsell's  Solution  of  Iron 378 

Marshmallows 379 

Mustard 37<J 

Nux  Vomica 379 

Nitrate  of  Silver 379 

Nitrate  of  Potash  or  Saltpetre 380 

Olive  Oil 380 

Oil  of  Tar :i:sO 

Oxide  of  Zinc ;%S0 

Oil  of  Male  Shield  Fei  n 3si) 

Pepper 381 

Quassia  Chips 38 1 

Sulphuric  Acid 381 

Sulphuric  Ether 382 

Sulphate  of  Copper 382 

Sulphate  of  Iron 382 

Sulphate  of  Zinc 382 

Sugar  of  Lead 38i] 

Salicylic  Acid 3s3 

Salt 383 

Sweet  Spirits  of  Nitre 383 

Spirits  of  Turpentine 384 

Salts 384 

Sulphur 385 

Vaseline 38-5 

Verdiyiis 385 


416 


INDEX — Receipts,  Illustrations. 
RECEIIPTS. 


PA(iE 

Acid  Liniment 386 

Ball  to  Actoa  Liver  and  Worms. .  388 

Carbolic  Oil 388 

Colic  and  Indigestion 390 

Condition  Powder 390 

Creolin  Lotion 387 

Eye  Wash 387 

Fly  Blister 389 

Free  Consultation 392 

Gargle 390 

Green  Salve 389 

Hoof  Ointment 390 


PAGE 

List  of  Medicines   to  Be  Kept  on 

Hand 391 

Mercury  Blister 389 

Physic  Ball  for  Horses.      .......   388 

Physic  Drench  for  Horses 388 

Ph5'sic  Drench  for  Cattle 388 

Powders   to  Act  on  Kidneys  and 

Blood 389 

White  Liniment 386 

White  Lotion 386 

Worm  Powders 390 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Skeleton  of  the  Horse 6 

Internal  Organs  of  the  Horse 28 

Foot  of  the  Horse 50 


PAGE 

Position  of  Foal  in  Womb 126 

Skeleton  of  the  Ox 240 


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